Feb. 17-23, 2025
35 games on the schedule this week, and 2 feature games. A Pac 12 doubleheader so to speak, so let's get to it:
2/20/25-
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) @
#3 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 17 turnovers and 37.9% shooting doomed the Buffaloes in this one, but what doomed them more was the free throw line. UCLA was 16-21, Colorado 4-4. Home cooking for sure.
Final Score: #3 UCLA- 80, Colorado- 61
2/20/25-
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) @
#10 Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- Another game in which Washington State will be kicking themselves, as they led by 9 at halftime but couldn't hold it. Stats were pretty even, but Stanford made 3 more shots and an extra free throw to complete the comeback.
Final Score: #10 Stanford- 94, Washington State- 87 (OT)
Now for the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 20-9, 11-4 2nd America East.
2/23/25 at Albany (W 83-53).
Just 1 game this week for the Hawks, a very convincing win. They can't win the America East regular season title outright, but they can still share it if they beat UMBC and Binghamton loses their final conference game. A win gives them 2nd seed in the A-East Tourney. A loss could bump them to 3rd. Still, Coach Ginsberg has led this team to their first 20 win season in 4 seasons.
UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 12-15, 7-8 7th American.
2/19/25 vs. Temple (L 73-70).
2/22/25 at UCF (L 75-71).
2 tough losses for the Huskies this week, by a combined total of 7 points. Definitely frustrating, as now they'll have to fight to get a .500 conference record.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 9-17, 5-10 11th (last) American.
2/19/25 vs. UCF (L 77-69).
2/22/25 vs. South Florida (W 65-57).
The Golden Hurricane split this week, and they don't have much to play for but pride at this point, as Coach Brown has already informed everybody this will be his last season at Tulsa. Whether he will be fired or resign still remains to be seen.
Notre Dame (Al Mighty) -- 11-15, 4-10 T-13th ACC.
2/19/25 vs. #11 Virginia (L 69-47).
2/22/25 vs. #24 Florida State (W 72-52).
A split for the Fighting Irish, who get a convincing win over top 25 Florida State. Where has that been all season?? Coach Mighty has 4 more conference games left with this team this season, and the possibility of a split is there.
North Florida (Felix Abel) -- 14-14, 7-5 T-2nd Atlantic Sun.
2/17/25 vs. UMass Lowell (W 74-53).
2/20/25 vs. Lipscomb (W 74-56).
The Ospreys win 2 more this week, and seem to be hitting their stride at the right time. They have 2 more conference games this season. While they can't finish in 1st, they can still finish 2nd with 2 more wins.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 9-17, 3-11 10th (last) Big 12.
2/17/25 vs. Oklahoma State (L 80-73).
2/22/25 vs. West Virginia (L 79-74).
Better efforts this week for the Horned Frogs, but the result is still the same. That's 5 straight losses now, and their best chance to end the losing streak comes next week.
#19 St. John's (Dean Hoo) -- 19-7, 11-3 1st Big East.
2/19/25 vs. #4 Villanova (W 86-78).
2/22/25 vs. Marquette (W 72-62).
Don't look now, but the Red Storm are atop the Big East! Granted it's only by half a game, with 4 more to go, but they have really turned the corner since that upset loss to Georgia State a couple weeks ago. They still have a couple more tests on their schedule, but they are playing much better basketball as of late.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 11-15, 5-9 T-10th Big Ten.
2/19/25 vs. #5 Michigan State (L 107-100).
2/22/25 at Maryland (W 100-91).
There was no defense to be found this week for the Wildcats, who split 2 games but gave up.. well.. a bunch of points. At least they were consistent at 100 points a game. It's got to be tough for Coach Al Mighty to see his former team doing so well.
FIU (Brett Hawkins) -- 12-14, 5-9 T-10th Conference USA.
2/20/25 vs. Charlotte (W 66-64).
2/22/25 at Louisiana Tech (L 100-69).
Another split for the Golden Panthers, as they barely got by Charlotte, but got a reality check at LA Tech. This just isn't a very good team right now, and they haven't been for a while.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 12-13, 7-7 T-7th Conference USA.
2/20/25 vs. Middle Tennessee (L 85-69).
2/22/25 at Old Dominion (W 72-52).
A split for the Owls, as their final four conference opponents of the season are all in the same boat as them: around the .500 mark and looking to make a move late.
Fairfield (Ariel Pryde) -- 10-18, 8-11 T-7th MAAC.
2/21/25 at St. Peter's (L 69-54).
2/23/25 vs. Iona (L 76-58).
2 blowout losses this week for the Stags, who have 1 more conference game left. Go figure, it's against the conference leaders, which isn't looking too promising.
San Jose State (Thomas Sheppard) -- 14-11, 10-5 2nd Mountain West.
2/19/25 vs. Nevada (W 83-75).
2/22/25 at Air Force (W 88-81).
2 more wins for the Spartans, who continue to shock the Mountain West. Keep in mind, this team was predicted to finish dead last, and here they are with 3 conference games remaining and a very good chance of winning it. Unbelieveable!
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 13-13, 7-7 T-4th Pac 12.
2/20/25 at #3 UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
2/22/25 vs. Utah (W 103-98, OT).
To the shock of absolutely nobody, the Buffaloes split again this week. 7 weeks of conference play, 7 splits. The consistency amazes me. Or is it inconsistency? Who knows, either way, the board can not be happy with Coach Nielsen at all.
#10 Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 21-5, 10-4 2nd Pac 12.
2/20/25 vs. Washington State- feature game, highlighted above.
2/22/25 vs. Gonzaga (W 84-74).
Good recovery for the Cardinal after 2 losses last week, as they win 2 this week. It's going to take an absolute miracle for any team other than UCLA to win the Pac 12 though, so for now, Coach Sanchez is just continuing to fire his team up for a potential #1 or #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
#3 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 24-2, 14-0 1st Pac 12.
2/20/25 vs. Colorado- feature game, highlighted above.
2/22/25 vs. Arizona State (W 72-69).
2 more wins for the Bruins, but the pressure of going undefeated in Pac 12 play might be starting to get to them a little bit, as they actually trailed at halftime against Arizona State. The schedule is favorable for 18-0 and what should be a no doubt #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but they have to take care of business.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 15-11, 7-7 T-4th Pac 12.
2/20/25 at #10 Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
2/22/25 vs. Oregon (W 76-57).
The Cougars split again this week, and their next 3 games are very, very important. They face Arizona in the last game of their regular season, so winning the remaining 3 games against sub-.500 competition is critical.
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 15-12, 5-9 13th SEC.
2/19/25 vs. LSU (L 75-60).
2/22/25 vs. Missouri (L 70-62).
Forget the NCAA Tournament, at this point the Crimson Tide just need to worry about staying out of the cellar after 2 more losses this week. Coach Rogers is going to have to get it figured out, because right now this Alabama team is the worst one in quite some time.
Arkansas Pine Bluff (B.B. Gunn) -- 13-13, 8-7 T-5th SWAC.
2/17/25 at Jackson State (L 72-69).
2/22/25 at Grambling State (W 76-63).
Another split for Coach Gunn and the Golden Lions, as it has to feel like Hawaii all over again. It's not a total February collapse yet, they can salvage it by winning their remaining 3 conference games, but at least 2 of 3 would be good.
Troy (Benton Gale) -- 11-15, 8-10 6th Sun Belt.
2/20/25 at Texas State (L 86-76).
2/22/25 vs. Texas State (L 80-63).
The Trojans with a pair of embarassing losses this week, both to Texas State. Now Coach Gale must rally the troops as they need to win both of their remaining conference games to finish .500 in the Sun Belt.
Here's a look at the national top 25 going into the week of Feb. 24-Mar. 2:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Baylor (64) 27-1 1792 1 Big 12 Conference
2. Syracuse (7) 25-1 1724 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. UCLA (1) 24-2 1668 3 Pacific-12 Conference
4. Providence 23-4 1539 6 Big East Conference
5. Villanova 23-5 1536 4 Big East Conference
6. Michigan State 22-4 1456 5 Big Ten Conference
7. Wisconsin 21-5 1371 7 Big Ten Conference
8. Stanford 21-5 1271 10 Pacific-12 Conference
9. Georgetown 20-6 1221 8 Big East Conference
10. Vanderbilt 21-5 1173 9 Southeastern Conference
11. Virginia 21-5 1071 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Tennessee State 25-3 963 13 Ohio Valley Conference
13. Arizona 18-8 962 14 Pacific-12 Conference
14. St. John's 19-7 794 19 Big East Conference
15. Memphis 21-6 791 12 American Athletic Conference
16. Louisville 19-7 762 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. Mercer 22-4 638 18 Southern Conference
18. Oklahoma 18-8 519 23 Big 12 Conference
19. USC Upstate 23-5 420 NR Atlantic Sun Conference
20. Princeton 20-5 404 17 Ivy League
21. Pepperdine 20-6 372 20 West Coast Conference
22. Miami 17-8 235 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
23. Sacramento State 21-5 229 21 Big Sky Conference
24. Indiana 18-8 176 25 Big Ten Conference
25. Iowa 17-9 90 22 Big Ten Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Ohio State 17-9 79 Big Ten Conference
Missouri 18-8 37 Southeastern Conference
San Diego 21-8 30 West Coast Conference
Seton Hall 17-9 24 Big East Conference
Georgia 17-9 23 Southeastern Conference
Davidson 18-8 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
Boston University 20-7 7 Patriot League
Furman 20-7 4 Southern Conference
SMU 19-7 4 American Athletic Conference
Loyola Chicago 18-8 3 Missouri Valley Conference
Boise State 18-8 2 Mountain West Conference
Middle Tennessee 19-7 1 Conference USA
While UCLA stays put at #3, they do get a FPV this week. They still need to continue to dominate, and hope for Baylor or Syracuse to lose so they can move up and gain more FPV. Stanford moves back up 2 spots after their 2 wins this week, and St. John's moves up 5 spots after 2 wins, including a big win over previously #4 Villanova.
Now a look at the Mid-Major Top 25 going into the week of Feb. 24-Mar. 2:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Tennessee State (48) 25-3 1771 2 Ohio Valley Conference
2. Memphis (20) 21-6 1739 1 American Athletic Conference
3. Mercer 22-4 1584 5 Southern Conference
4. Pepperdine (4) 20-6 1563 3 West Coast Conference
5. Princeton 20-5 1457 4 Ivy League
6. San Diego 21-8 1397 7 West Coast Conference
7. Davidson 18-8 1343 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Boise State 18-8 1266 10 Mountain West Conference
9. USC Upstate 23-5 1157 9 Atlantic Sun Conference
10. Saint Joseph's 18-8 1101 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. SMU 19-7 1094 11 American Athletic Conference
12. Loyola Chicago 18-8 1016 13 Missouri Valley Conference
13. Middle Tennessee 19-7 878 15 Conference USA
14. St. Bonaventure 17-9 840 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Wichita State 18-9 792 19 Missouri Valley Conference
16. Furman 20-7 777 14 Southern Conference
17. Sacramento State 21-5 761 6 Big Sky Conference
18. Boston University 20-7 592 20 Patriot League
19. Akron 17-10 518 25 Mid-American Conference
20. Harvard 18-8 357 NR Ivy League
21. Evansville 18-10 351 17 Missouri Valley Conference
22. Robert Morris 22-7 221 18 Northeast Conference
23. Massachusetts 16-10 194 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
24. Utah State 17-9 162 NR Mountain West Conference
25. Indiana State 17-11 124 23 Missouri Valley Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Long Beach State 16-10 63 Big West Conference
Northeastern 18-8 52 Colonial Athletic Association
Eastern Michigan 18-9 41 Mid-American Conference
Louisiana Tech 16-10 38 Conference USA
Arkansas Little Rock 17-8 30 Sun Belt Conference
Southern Miss 17-9 30 Conference USA
Oral Roberts 19-7 29 Summit League
Temple 17-8 29 American Athletic Conference
Richmond 15-9 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
Central Michigan 17-10 7 Mid-American Conference
Radford 20-8 5 Big South Conference
Illinois State 16-12 4 Missouri Valley Conference
Hawaii 16-10 1 Big West Conference
San Diego State 15-11 1 Mountain West Conference
You know the drill, a big fat blank.
Now a look at this weeks Bubble Watch. We'll start with the Overall Bubble Watch, which features none of our teams this week:
Code:
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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Massachusetts 16-10 .582 (26) 3-5 2-2 8-3 3-0 20 In
Clemson 16-10 .570 (37) 3-5 1-3 7-1 5-1 38 In
SMU 19-7 .556 (53) 0-2 2-1 7-1 10-3 197 In
Louisiana Tech 16-10 .595 (13) 2-3 3-2 6-5 5-0 10 In
St. Bonaventure 17-9 .546 (70) 3-3 4-2 5-4 5-0 112 In
Long Beach State 16-10 .581 (28) 4-2 1-2 7-3 4-3 15 In
New Hampshire 17-10 .553 (58) 2-1 3-0 4-5 8-4 98 In
Indiana State 17-11 .556 (52) 1-6 2-4 6-1 8-0 64 In
Temple 17-8 .547 (66) 0-3 2-1 3-0 12-4 161 Out
Oklahoma State 17-10 .544 (71) 0-4 3-1 7-3 7-2 132 Out
Mercer 22-4 .539 (82) 1-2 2-0 5-1 14-1 327 Out
Iowa 17-9 .539 (81) 1-3 7-2 4-3 5-1 134 Out
UT Arlington 16-10 .540 (78) 0-0 1-4 5-5 10-1 120 Out
Sacramento State 21-5 .534 (91) 1-1 0-0 4-1 16-3 328 Out
Virginia Tech 16-8 .508 (148) 1-3 3-3 2-1 10-1 291 Out
Here's a look at all 19 of our FOFC teams. Remember, if you don't see your team list as a lock or in, that means they are projected out.
Locks: St. John's, UCLA, Stanford
The only difference this week is Alabama. They have played themselves off the bubble, and not in a good way. They are squarely out this week.