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Monday, February 19, 2007
Dogs in a big pile
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia picked up a big win at Auburn Saturday, but the Bulldogs will have to get friskier to snap up an NCAA bid as the SEC race continues to get wild and wooly.
Vandy’s upset of No. 1 Florida is just one storyline as the regular season heads for a frantic finish. Tennessee’s up-and-down play (beating UK, getting routed by Carolina) and the struggle for any SEC West team to reach .500 in league play means that several teams will be desperate by the time the SEC tourney hits the Georgia Dome.
Another team badly needing to stay on a roll is Arkansas, which surprised Ole Miss over the weekend and is now 16-10, and 5-7 in the league. As the Rebels found out, the Hogs can be very dangerous, and when they play host to Georgia on Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena, it will feel like a tourney game for both teams.
Can Georgia still pull off an NCAA bid? What does Dennis Felton’s team have to do? Which schools do you think will round out the SEC contingent that gets to the NCAA dance?
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A big reach for Tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Riding the bubble all season long, Georgia Tech can’t seem to rise above it for long. After last week’s win at FSU to end a 17-game road losing streak, the Yellow Jackets couldn’t make it two in a row against a rejuvenated Duke team.
With an RPI in the 40s, an overall record of 17-9 but an ACC mark of 5-7, does Tech still have the makings of an NCAA team? Beating Wake Forest at home on Wednesday is imperative, but Clemson is in precisely the same spot as the Jackets. Can either of these teams, or both, add to the bulk of ACC teams that are likely to receive bids? Is Maryland, at 20-7 and 6-6, finally over the hump?
With just two weeks left in the regular season, how many ACC teams do you see getting in? And will Tech be one of them?
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Move up, or move out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With just two weeks remaining in most conference regular season schedules — and just one week in several others — teams on the bubble have to make a good impression, and fast.
Two of the best candidates are on pretty good rolls, but have to stay on them, or win their conference tourneys, to move into better position.
Old Dominion has added to a feisty battle in the Colonial Athletic Association with a nine-game winning streak and a 21-9 record. The Monarchs, who toppled CAA contender Hofstra last week, have an RPI of 45 but have only two games remaining this week before the conference tournament.
Some bracketeers already have Xavier in their as-is listings, but the Musketeers still are grazing along that fine line of hit or miss. With a record of 19-7, a four-game win streak, an RPI of 48 and four games left, there’s time and some winnable games remaining.
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Tony Barnhart’s daily picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Following Tony’s update, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
WHO’S IN
• Santa Clara (19-7, RPI) takes Gonzaga’s spot as the projected West Coast championship. Gonzaga (18-10, RPI 71) has lost three of its last four and won’t get in unless the Bulldogs win the conference tournament.
WHO’S IN TROUBLE
• Clemson (19-7, RPI 30): The RPI is still high but the Tigers have lost seven of their last nine. Clemson still has games remaining with Duke and Miami at home plus Boston College and Virginia Tech on the road.
WHO COULD GET BACK IN
• Kansas State (19-8, RPI 50): The Wildcats fell off the board after a bad loss at Nebraska last week. Bob Huggins’ team could get back on with a win tonight against Kansas (23-4, RPI 17) tonight at Manhattan.
THE SEEDS
1: Wisconsin, Ohio State, UCLA, Florida
2: North Carolina, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M
3: Washington State, Memphis, Southern Illinois, Georgetown
4: Air Force, Butler, Virginia, Marquette
5: Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Duke, Southern Cal
6: Villanova, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Boston College
7: Nevada, Louisville, Stanford, Tennessee
8: UNLV, Arizona, Creighton, Texas
9: BYU, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Maryland
10: Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Winthrop
11: Xavier, Santa Clara, Missouri State, Michigan State
12: VCU, Purdue, Drexel, Clemson
13: Davidson, West Virginia, Holy Cross, Long Beach State
14: Akron, Vermont, Oral Roberts, TAMU-CC
15: South Alabama, Penn, Marist, Austin Peay
16: Delaware State, East Tenn. State, Weber State, Jackson State, Central Connecticut
Play-in game: Jackson State vs. Central Connecticut
BREAKDOWN BY CONFERENCE
(There are 22 conferences that we project will receive only one bid. The rest of the 43 bids will be distributed accordingly.)
• ACC (8): Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina (projected champion), Virginia, Virginia Tech.
• Big East (6): Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh (projected champion), Villanova, West Virginia.
• Big Ten (5): Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin (projected champion).
• BIG 12 (5): Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M (projected champion), Texas Tech.
• COLONIAL (2): VCU, Drexel.
• Missouri Valley (3): Southern Illinois (projected champion), Creighton, Missouri State.
• Mountain West (3): Air Force, BYU (projected champion), UNLV.
• Pac-10 (6): Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA (projected champion), Washington State.
• SEC (5): Alabama, Florida (projected champion), Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt.
• How do you see it?
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