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Sunday, February 25, 2007
Tech, Dogs needing wins
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WHO’S IN
— Drexel (21-7, RPI 41): The Dragons have the best road record (13-4 in Division I basketball and have won non-conference road wins at Villanova (RPI 19), Creighton (RPI 29), and Syracuse (RPI 53).
WHO’S OUT
—Clemson (19-9, RPI 42): We hung with the Tigers as long as we could but now they have lost 9 of their last 11. If Clemson could win their last two with Miami and Virginia Tech it just might squeak back in.
WHO’S IN TROUBLE
—Alabama (19-9, RPI 39): The Crimson Tide simply isn’t the same team when point guard Ronald Steele is injured, as Saturday’s home loss to Auburn will attest. Alabama has lost four of its last five. Wednesday’s home game with Ole Miss is huge.
WHO NEEDS A WIN
—Georgia Tech (18-10, RPI 51). Blowing a seven-point lead in the final minutes at Virginia didn’t help the Yellow Jacket’s case. But if they can split their final two games with North Carolina (Thursday) and Boston College (Sunday) they should get in.
—Ole Miss (18-10, RPI 62): Losing by 13 at South Carolina on Saturday night didn’t help the Rebels’ cause but they could do something about it this week. Pick up a two wins at Alabama on Wednesday and at home against Auburn on Saturday and Andy Kennedy’s team could slip in.
—Georgia (16-10, RPI 52): The Bulldogs have to give the committee a reason to put them in. Wins at Kentucky (RPI 7) and at home against Tennessee (RPI 11) would do it. Split those games and win one in the SEC Tournament and Georgia may have an outside chance.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT
—Florida State (18-11, RPI 46): The Seminoles may not be done yet. They have only one regular season game left at Miami on Saturday. Florida State has four wins in the Top 25 (Florida, Duke, Maryland, Georgia Tech). Only UCLA and North Carolina have. All 11 of FSU’s losses have come to teams ranked in the top 51 of the RPI. The problem is that Florida State has only one meaningful win on the road (Duke, RPI 10). The next best team Florida State beat away from home was Georgia State (RPI 242). A win at Miami on Saturday plus a win in the ACC Tournament would put them in.
—Syracuse (20-8, RPI 53): The Orange has won four straight but they have all come against teams ranked 70 or higher. Syracuse finishes with a big Monday night home game with Georgetown (22-5, RPI 16) and a Saturday game at Villanova.
BREAKDOWN BY CONFERENCE
We projected that 22 of the 31 conferences will receive only one bid to the NCAA Tournament. The remaining 43 spots in the field will be distributed as follows:
ACC (7) Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech.
Big East (6): Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Villanova.
Big Ten (6): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin.
Big 12 (4): Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech.
Colonial (3): Old Dominion, Drexel, VCU.
Missouri Valley (3): Creighton, Missouri State, Southern Illinois.
Mountain West (3): Air Force, BYU, UNLV
PAC-10 (6): Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington State.
SEC (5): Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt.
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