Daily rants and opinions...because we're THAT bored.
by Spaen - Monday, February 27
All this talk about the Big East and we forget how good the ACC really can be. Even a game without a team giving all they got toward the Blue Devils! Both BC and NC St have really played well in the conferences since the beginning of their season. I honestly was not a believer of BC at the beginning of ACC play, but aggresive play against Duke (a game they totally could have won) and now against NC St really has me picking these guys to go far in the NCAAs. Unfortunately, that same aggresive play they had ran into surprise force Wisconsin-Milwaukee last year. I don't they'll be that unlucky this year. Oh, and Craig Smith was the man too.
Worst Game: 7)Texas 80, 16)Kansas 55
Another cruddy Big XII game that was over-hyped. Now I'm a huge fan of the Big XII, but this season has just been freakin' crazy. I can't predict what the tournament will be like, but it will have both great games and games that make you scratch your head and go "But I thought that team beat (insert other team here) very good last night..."
NOTABLE GAMES:
23)Georgetown 68, Syracuse 53
G'town needed this victory to stay in the race to the big dance. Now I know they've been a good team, and knocking off Duke might of punched their ticket already, but they can take that sigh of relief now that they have 10 wins in the conference. Even a bad showing in the Big East tourney won't affect them too much, unless they want to get a top 5 seed. On the other side, Syracuse really needed this win to stay in the big dance race, and actually needed it more than Georgetown. A win at DePaul next week should give them some confidence entering the conference tourney, and they'll need at least the first win to secure their spot.
Verdict: Georgetown in, Syracuse in
George Mason 95, James Madison 68
People actually questioned if Mason could get in as an at-large after a road upset during the mid-week. Question was answered.
Verdict: George Mason in
Arkansas 73, 10)Tennessee 69
A HUGE road win for the Razorbacks give them a shot to reach the big dance as long as they have a couple good games in the conference tourney. There will be a big one at home in the regular season finale against Mississippi State they must not screw up.
Verdict: Arkansas out
13)Ohio State 64, Michigan 54
The conference tourney begins now for Michigan. They must win their regular season finale against Indiana at home, or they will be sitting at 8 conference losses. Just like the Big XII, the Big Ten can't send teams in with at-large bids of 8+ losses.
Verdict: Michigan out
Southern Illinois 46, 25)Northern Iowa 45
I love UNI, I really do. Unfortuantely, they have fallen off in the worst spot imaginable, and now find themselves in the conference tourney where at least 2 wins are needed in the tourney. An unbelievable win by SIU also gave them hope to reach the NCAA tourney as well. But, with the rule of 20 wins, UNI has a major advantage.
Verdict: UNI in, Southern Illinois out
Kent State 70, Miami (OH) 63
The MAC actually has been an underrated conference (well, the East division that is). Both Kent St and Akron deserve automatic bids, and Miami (OH) is certainly making a strong case for it. Ah what the hell.
Verdict: Kent State in, Miami in
DePaul 67, Seton Hall 64
You could put a fork in DePaul after that ugly loss at Old Dominion, but Seton Hall had it's chances to get back in the tourney. Since the domination from UConn at home, it's going to be hard even with that great RPI to get into the dance. They don't really deserve a bid either.
Verdict: Seton Hall out
Akron 76, Ohio 61
Ohio got smaked in the face by the Zips, and even if the MAC is decent this year, Ohio is in some trouble. Akron looks like a quality team that may throw in some surprises, like Kent State will.
Verdict: Akron in, Ohio out
22)Oklahoma 71, Kansas St 70
Kansas State really has been playing some better basketball once their main coach left, and it looks like they're continuing that pace even with him back. However, these couple of close losses against Texas and Oklahoma really hurt their chances of what could have been a surprise at-large pick. But how uncanny is it to win 4 straight games with one point for Oklahoma.
Verdict: Kansas St out
Texas A&M 66, Nebraska 55
An elimination game to see who will continue their march to the NCAA tourney. Neither team will get very far, but an extra bid for my favorite conference is all good. The start of this game with A&M dominating on defense shows how good they are at home, and really do have one of the Top 10 toughest places to play at in the nation. Too bad no NCAA game will be played there.
Verdict: Texas A&M in, Nebraska out
8)Illinois 71, 20)Iowa 59
Did Iowa just decide not to play the full 40 minutes? Like A&M, Iowa really has been erratic from home to the road, and this loss shows it. It was another dismal performance offensive wise on the road too. If it wasn't for Brunner, this Hawkeye team wouldn't be anywhere, and that will be a huge cause for concern come next year. They made Illinois look good too, which gives them more opportunity to get an overrated top 4 seeding in the tourney.
Verdict: Illinois a Top 4 seed, Iowa 5th seed or lower
Marquette 80, Notre Dame 72
Why is Marquette NOT ranked in the Top 25? Please explain that to me. No...wait...explain why Notre Dame deserves an NCAA bid, Doyel. Yes they have had some tough losses, but you can't lose that many games. 8 losses in the conference will send you out of any hope, and if there was any hope Notre Dame needed that win at home against Marquette. It's the NIT for the Irish.
Verdict: Marquette in, Notre Dame out
Stanford 39, Washington State 37
This is hard. Stanford has 10 wins in the conference and have looked decent enough, but this game was just bad. Washington State is fucking horrible on offense, and only spitting out 39 against them is strange. Giving up 37 to them may be a little too much as well. Stanford overall does not deserve a tourney bid, but then again with so much parody in CBB today, they may be one of those filler teams. When did the Pac-10 become the lowest-scoring conference in the nation?
Verdict: Stanford out
Missouri St 60, Creighton 54
Why are you doing this to me MVC? Missouri State made things crazy in the conference with this win, showing that they have what it takes to get into the tourney. But after making them and Creighton equal, your making a bad impression on the committee. From Wichita State to Bradley, it's looking more like their beating up on each other like the middle of the pack in the Big 12. All 6 won't get in, and the committee will have some interesting picking to do. Creighton needs at least one conference tourney win.
Verdict: Missouri St in, Creighton in
UTEP 69, Houston 63
You might call this an elimination game for a low seeding in the tourney. I really believe 3 teams will make it to the tourney from the CUSA baring early exits from the conference tourney. Houston may have done an early exit with a disappointing loss on the road. It would have been huge.
Verdict: UTEP in, Houston out
JUMP SHOTS:
All Season
Best Major Conference: Big East
Worst Major Conference: Big XII
Best Mid-Major: Missouri Valley
Worst Mid-Major: MEAC / SWAC
Underrated Major: ACC
Overrated Major: SEC
Underrated Mid-Major: Atlantic 10
Overrated Mid-Major: MAAC
Best Team: Connecticut (Big East)
Worst Team: Jacksonville (Atlantic Sun)
This Past Weekend
Best Mid-Major Game: UAB 73, Southern Methodist 68 (C-USA)
Worst Mid-Major Game: St. Joseph's 70, Richmond 39 (Atlantic 10)
Biggest Blowout: Austin Peay 80, Morehead St 48 (Ohio Valley)
Worst Offensive Performance: Stanford 39, Washington St 37 (Pac-10)
Worst Defensive Performance: Long Beach St 96, UC Davis 92 (OT) (Big West)
Biggest Upset: Arkansas 73, 10)Tennessee 69 (SEC)
Best Major Team: Arkansas
Worst Major Team: South Florida
Who Should Be in the Top 25 (AP):
Marquette, Wichita St, George Mason, California, Bucknell
Who Should Not Be in the Top 25 (AP):
Michigan St, Nevada, Florida, Iowa
Overrated Teams in the Top 25 (AP):
Illinois, North Carolina, Washington, UCLA
THOUGHTS ON THE WEEK:
The play-in game will be played from 2 of the following conferences: MEAC, SWAC, Ivy League, America East (if Albany doesn't make it), or Atlantic Sun ... Texas bounces back in a big way from a struggling road trip, dominating Kansas. The number one seed is back into consideration ... Other #1 seeds? Duke, UConn, and Memphis ... Gonzaga finally pulled away from a team in the iffy WCC. The 'Zags don't want to have third season come to a disappointing end again ... The MVC could get 3-5 teams in, it just depends on what happens in the conference tourney. If you get FSN Midwest, I suggest you watch it ... The Mountain West does have some decent teams in it when you talk about Air Force and BYU as of late. I was a bit harsh earlier ... The Pac-10 could have 5 teams going to the tourney since they all have 10+ conference wins. 1 of them might make the Sweet 16. I won't bother going past that ... The Citadel finally win a conference game, but with one win in the SoCon and 7 wins overall, it's scary to think who they might of played in the non-conference schedule ... Penn loses it's first conference game in the Ivy League, but still having the best record at 18-7. Now you know why they'll probably be a play-in team ... Washington State's offense could be one of the worst I have seen in years ... The A10 has one at-large pick: GW. Charlotte and St. Louis have too many overall losses ... Pacific is coming back in the Big West, and playing some really good basketball. Sleeper in the NCAAs? ... Now hear this: Baylor will finish in the top 3 of the Big XII next year