Welcome to Just Handle Your Business Day.
Outside of the title games in three one-bid leagues — the Big Sky, Patriot and Southland — there aren’t many chances for teams to help their NCAA tournament profiles on Wednesday. But there are plenty of opportunities for teams to fall out of the conversation.
It’s basically an extension of Tuesday, which had a high-profile game (Gonzaga’s 77-51 pummeling of St. Mary’s in the West Coast final) between two teams assured of being in the field. In addition, it saw automatic bids doled out to College of Charleston (Colonial), Northern Kentucky (Horizon) and Oral Roberts (Summit).
Of those, Charleston was the only one with even a sliver of hope for an at-large; after all, a team with more than 28 wins has never been left out of the tournament. Charleston had 30 entering a rugged CAA title game against UNC Wilmington. But the Cougars rallied for win No. 31, a 63-58 triumph, and will be a handful for some No. 5 or No. 6 seed next week.
As for looking ahead to Wednesday’s action …
ACC second round: Pittsburgh vs. Georgia Tech, 2:30 p.m., ESPN; North Carolina vs. Boston College, 7 p.m., ESPN2; N.C. State vs. Virginia Tech, approx. 9:30, ESPN2
Put all three of these games in Greensboro in a batch, because they feature teams that might be in line for double-digit seeds (or a bit outside of that range, in North Carolina’s case) facing teams that have no chance of making the NCAA tournament without four more victories. In short, there isn’t much to gain and plenty to lose for Pitt, N.C. State and especially North Carolina on the second day of the ACC tournament.
Bracket impact: None for the tournament contenders if they win. Pitt and N.C. State might not be completely sure things with a loss. North Carolina could start making NIT plans if it stumbles against Boston College.
Southland final: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Northwestern State, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
The top two seeds in this tournament didn’t have to play until Tuesday’s semifinals. And sure enough, they made it through to the championship game. Both teams are 22-10, though their recent history is different. The top-seeded Islanders are seeking a second consecutive Southland title, while Northwestern State hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament in a decade. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi swept the regular season series.
Bracket impact: Not only is it one-bid territory, but with both teams owning NET rankings just inside the top 200, a No. 16 seed is likely and a trip to Dayton isn’t out of the question.
Big East first round: Seton Hall vs. DePaul, approx. 5:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1); Villanova vs. Georgetown, approx. 8 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
The first commandment of the Big East tournament, immutable for about a decade and a half, is “Don’t lose to DePaul.” Given how Georgetown has spelunked its way into the subbasement of college basketball relevance, “Don’t lose to the Hoyas,” is probably the second commandment.
Bracket impact: There might not be a way for Seton Hall or Villanova to get an at-large bid. But between the Pirates hammering Providence on Saturday and Villanova playing better with the return of Justin Moore, there’s at least a sliver of hope either team could make a run this week in New York. They’re the potential bid-snatchers to watch at the Garden.
Big Ten first round: Wisconsin vs. Ohio State, 6:30 p.m. (BTN)
Yes, Wisconsin (17-13) is still hanging around despite having to play on the first day of the Big Ten tournament. The Badgers own six Quadrant 1 victories, which counts for something. But that doesn’t mean everything, and they’d be a tougher sell if a team that has lost 11 of 17 stumbles against a Buckeyes bunch that hasn’t won outside of Columbus since New Year’s Day.
Bracket impact: Negligible if Wisconsin wins, damaging to the Badgers if they lose in the Big Ten tournament’s lidlifter.
Big 12 first round: West Virginia vs. Texas Tech, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Bracket impact: A metrics darling despite a 7-11 Big 12 record and 3-8 mark in road games, West Virginia (18-13) is almost certainly good to go for an at-large berth. But avoiding a play-in game? There might be an outside chance. Better to just dispatch the Red Raiders (16-15), a team in turmoil after Coach Mark Adams’s suspension, than to let that become a possibility.
Mountain West first round: New Mexico vs. Wyoming, approx. 7 p.m.
For the sake of thoroughness, the Lobos (21-10) are included in this exercise. In reality, their serious hopes of an at-large evaporated after an 18-2 start was followed by eight losses in 11 games. Low tide was arguably a Feb. 14 loss to last-place Wyoming at The Pit, and the Cowboys could put the finishing touches on New Mexico’s collapse on the first day of the Mountain West tournament.
Bracket impact: Nothing immediate.
Patriot League final: Lafayette at Colgate, 7:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
The host Raiders, winners of 34 of their last 35 games against Patriot League opponents, really didn’t need much help this postseason. They got it anyway when the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds both lost in the quarterfinals. Colgate (25-8) is seeking its fourth NCAA trip in five years. Lafayette (11-22) last went in 2015.
Bracket impact: Colgate figures to be a No. 14 or No. 15 seed if it wins. Lafayette would surely be ticketed for Dayton and the No. 16 line.
Big 12 first round: Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma, approx. 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Oklahoma State’s goal this week should be to go from being a somewhat interesting possible No. 11 or No. 12 seed to a run-of-the-mill No. 10 seed. In algebraic terms, uninteresting equals good. Could a 17-15 team with a loss to the last-place Sooners in its final game land an at-large? Sure, but it would probably get a ticket to Dayton. Better to just handle business.
Bracket impact: In addition to Oklahoma State’s need to shore up its profile, the Cowboys and West Virginia can clear out the only possible Big 12 bid thieves with victories on Wednesday.
Big Sky final: Montana State vs. Northern Arizona, 11:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Second-seeded Montana State (24-9) aims for its second consecutive NCAA appearance after outlasting Weber State, 60-58, in double overtime on Tuesday. The ninth-seeded Lumberjacks (12-22) have bounced regular season champion Eastern Washington and fourth-seeded Montana in their last two games. A win would give them their first NCAA trip since 2000.
Bracket impact: Montana State could reasonably hope to be a No. 14 or No. 15 seed. Northern Arizona would be a No. 16 seed with Dayton as its destination.
Pac-12 first round: Arizona State vs. Oregon State, approx. 11:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks)
The Sun Devils had a chance to improve their lot in life and increase their margin for error when they closed the regular season at UCLA and Southern California. They lost both, so they need to make a deep run in Las Vegas. That starts against Oregon State (11-20), which owns a NET in the 200s.
Bracket impact: Arizona State is done with a loss. Its only reward is a better game (against Southern Cal) on a neutral court on Thursday.
Rest of the schedule (none with at-large impact) …
ACC (Greensboro, N.C.): Syracuse vs. Wake Forest, noon (ESPN)
Atlantic 10 (New York.): Davidson vs. St. Bonaventure, 11:30 a.m. (USA); George Mason vs. Richmond, approx. 2 p.m. (USA); George Washington vs. Saint Joseph’s, 5 p.m. (USA); Duquesne vs. La Salle, approx. 7:30 p.m. (USA)
Big East (New York): Butler vs. St. John’s, 3 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
Big Ten (Chicago): Nebraska vs. Minnesota, approx. 8:55 p.m. (BTN)
Conference USA (Frisco, Texas): Western Kentucky vs. UTEP, 6:30 p.m.; Florida International vs. Louisiana Tech, approx. 9 p.m.; Rice vs. Texas-San Antonio, 9:30 p.m.
Metro Atlantic (Atlantic City): Iona vs. Mount St. Mary’s, 7 p.m.; Rider vs. St. Peter’s, approx. 9:30 p.m.
MEAC (Norfolk): Howard vs. South Carolina State, 6 p.m.; North Carolina Central vs. Delaware State, approx. 8:30 p.m.
Mountain West (Las Vegas): Colorado State vs. Fresno State, 2 p.m.; UNLV vs. Air Force, approx. 4:30 p.m.
Pac-12 (Las Vegas): Washington vs. Colorado, 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks); Washington State vs. California, approx. 5:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks); Utah vs. Stanford, 9 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks)
SEC (Nashville): South Carolina vs. Mississippi, 7 p.m. (SEC Network); Georgia vs. LSU, approx. 9:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
SWAC (Birmingham, Ala.): Grambling State vs. Bethune-Cookman, 3 p.m.; Alcorn State vs. Texas Southern, 9:30 p.m.
Field notes
Last four included: Utah State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Rutgers
First four on the outside: Penn State, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan
Next four on the outside: Clemson, Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Oregon
Moving in: Northern Kentucky
Moving out: Cleveland State
Conference call: Big Ten (9), Big 12 (8), SEC (8), ACC (5), Big East (5), Mountain West (3), Pac-12 (3), American Athletic (2), West Coast (2)
"lose" - Google News
March 09, 2023 at 01:25AM
https://ift.tt/JBqQZyV
Analysis | NCAA men's tournament bracketology: Bubble teams have a lot to lose Wednesday - The Washington Post
"lose" - Google News
https://ift.tt/sVxln4E https://ift.tt/OC2AWbM
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Analysis | NCAA men's tournament bracketology: Bubble teams have a lot to lose Wednesday - The Washington Post"
Post a Comment