Road to Selection Sunday
Teams who locked up a bid:
Texas Tech: Red Raiders have a good resume, and avoiding a bad loss to Colorado was imperative. Kansas State is up next—both teams would like a win.
Michigan State: The Spartans avoided a bad loss to Northwestern, and now get a third shot at Wisconsin. A win there would vault MSU’s seed upwards.
Xavier: The Musketeers just keep picking up wins. With UMass getting knocked out, XU should have a clear path to the automatic bid, though.
Bubble teams trying to play their way into the NCAA Tournament:
Syracuse: The Orange don’t have the most impressive resume in the world, but they have 11 Big East wins. 7th in the Big East pecking order, though. Probably will get a bid.
Florida State: The Seminoles made a late comeback for the second game in a row, to knock off Clemson. A win over UNC on Friday would cement a bid.
Michigan: The Wolverines get another chance to pick up a marquee win against Ohio State. Avoided a bad loss to Minnesota to stay in the mix.
Illinois: The Fighting Illini are fighting with several other Big Ten teams for a bid. They survived a game they couldn’t lose in their win over Penn State.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks destroyed South Carolina to keep their late run for a bid alive. They still need to reach the SEC title game, though.
Georgia: The Bulldogs defeated Auburn handily, and stayed in the running for a 5th bid out of the SEC. Must-win on Friday against Florida.
Bubble teams playing themselves out of the NCAA Tournament:
Georgia Tech: All they needed to do was avoid a loss to Wake Forest. Instead, they fell in a classic double-OT game. I think they still get in, though.
Stanford: Could have locked up a bid with a win over USC. However, they blew a double-digit lead and fell in OT. Will be sweating until Selection Sunday.
Air Force: The Falcons are doing everything they can to stay out of the Dance. They have lost four in a row, including today against Wyoming.
Clemson: The Tigers are pretty much done after their one-point loss to Florida State. Very surprising considering the Tigers started off 17-0.
Massachusetts: The Minutemen basically needed a run to the title game to have a chance. Unfortunately, they didn’t make it past the quarterfinals.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers are an interesting case. It seems they pass the “eye test” but their resume is nowhere near at-large quality.
DePaul: The Blue Demons basically have no shot at a bid after their first-round loss to Villanova. Inconsistency all season long plagued DePaul.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide are done in terms of an at-large bid after their loss to Kentucky. Very disappointing season for a team in the preseason top ten.
San Diego State: Loss to Colorado State in quarterfinals of the MWC Tournament essentially seals their fate. Aztecs likely headed to the NIT.
Seeds Rising:
Louisville: The Cardinals are making a late push at a protected seed. It’s still going to take some work, but their double-OT win over West Virginia keeps them alive.
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish are slowly rising and could be higher than most people think. Win today over Syracuse was their sixth in a row.
Oregon: The Ducks blew out Arizona in the Pac-10 quarterfinals, their fourth win in a row. They are playing well again after their midseason slump.
BYU: The Cougars are making a move upwards after their victory over TCU today. It was their eleventh win in their last twelve games.
UNLV: The Runnin’ Rebels are making a good case for a protected seed. They have terrific computer numbers, and absolutely destroyed Utah today.
Seeds Falling:
Duke: The Blue Devils fell to North Carolina State today, their third loss in a row. They finished the ACC with an overall 8-9 record. Resume still solid, though.
Maryland: The Terrapins had a chance to really make a case for a protected seed. However, their loss to Miami (Fl.) today drops them back to the 5-6 range.
Arizona: The Wildcats looked like they were back in good shape with three wins in a row. But they were blown out by Oregon today, dropping them back.
Tennessee: The Vols were one of the hotter teams in the country, and were in the mix for a top-four seed. However, they fell in overtime to LSU today.
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