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February 2007
Vols rising, Gators falling
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After Tony’s update, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
RISING
• Tennessee (21-9) jumps up to a No. 5 seed after beating Florida 86-76. The Vols have won six of their last seven and close out the regular season Saturday at Georgia.
• Maryland (22-7, RPI 14): The Terps have won five straight and six of their last seven to move into a No. 4 seed.
FALLING
• Florida (25-5, RPI 10): The defending national champions dropped from a No. 1 to a No. 2 seed after losing three of their last four games. Kansas (26-4, RPI 15) moves into a No. 1 seed. The Jayhawks have a huge game with Texas (21-7, RPI 37) on Saturday.
• Air Force (22-7) drops from a No. 6 seed to a No. 9 seed after losing its third straight game. The Falcons are stumbling into the Mountain West Tournament.
GAMES TO WATCH
• Ole Miss (18-10, RPI 61) at Alabama (19-9, RPI 45): If the Crimson Tide wants to make the NCAA Tournament this is probably their last stand. It won’t be easy if point guard Ronald Steele can’t go.
• Georgia (17-10, RPI 53) at Kentucky (19-9, RPI 11): This is a good time to play the Wildcats at home, where the natives are starting to get restless about coach Tubby Smith. Kentucky has already lost at home twice this season to Florida and Vanderbilt. The third time could be the charm for Georgia.
• Texas A&M (22-4, RPI 13) at Texas (21-7, RPI 37): Who is the Big 12 player of the year: Kevin Durant (Texas) or Acie Law (Texas A&M)? You decide.
• Maryland at Duke (22-7, RPI 9): It’s never easy playing Duke on Senior night but the Terps are tough enough to win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
TOP 65 BY SEEDS
1: Ohio State, UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas
2: Wisconsin, Georgetown, Texas A&M, Florida
3: Memphis, Southern Illinois, Duke, Pittsburgh
4: Butler, Louisville, Maryland, Washington State
5: Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Vanderbilt Virginia
6: Marquette, Texas, Boston College, Kentucky
7: Nevada, Michigan State, Indiana, UNLV
8: Southern Cal, Stanford, Creighton, Arizona
9: Air Force, Oregon, Villanova, BYU
10: Notre Dame, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Georgia Tech
11: Xavier, Winthrop, Gonzaga, Alabama
12: VCU, Purdue, Missouri State, Old Dominion
13: Davidson, Drexel, Holy Cross, Long Beach State
14: Toledo, Vermont, Oral Roberts, Sam Houston
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
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Tony Barnhart’s daily picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After Tony’s update, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
WHO’S IN
• Syracuse (21-8, RPI 49): The Orange beat Georgetown (22-6, RPI 17) Monday night for their fifth straight win. Syracuse has three wins in the top 28 (Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette).
WHO’S OUT
• Illinois (21-9, RPI 31): The Illini are 3-5 on the road and 3-8 against the Top 50. Its best win on the road was at Northwestern (RPI 165).
WHO SHOULD WORRY
• Alabama (19-9, RPI 42): Looks like point guard Ronald Steele won’t go Wednesday night when the Crimson Tide hosts Ole Miss. A loss will likely knock Alabama out of the field.
WHO NEEDS A WIN
• Florida (25-4, RPI 7): Yes, Florida. After losing two of their last three games (both losses were on the road) the Gators’ No. 1 seed is in danger of slipping away. A win tonight at Tennessee would help but the Vols have not lost at home (15-0) all season.
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
We project 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 (champion), Virginia, Virginia Tech.
Tournament: March 8-11, Tampa.
• (7): Georgetown (champion), Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Syracuse, Villanova.
Tournament: March 7-10, New York.
• Big Ten (5): Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State (champion), Purdue, Wisconsin.
Tournament: March 8-11, Chicago.
• Big 12 (4): Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M (champion), Texas Tech.
Tournament: March 8-11, Oklahoma City.
• Colonial (3): Old Dominion, Drexel, VCU (champion).
Tournament: Friday-March 5, Richmond.
• Missouri Valley (3): Creighton, Missouri State, Southern Illinois (champion).
Tournament: Thursday-Sunday, St. Louis.
• Mountain West (3): Air Force (champion), BYU, UNLV.
Tournament: March 6, 8-10, Las Vegas.
• Pac-10 (6): Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA (champion), Washington State.
Tournament: March 7-10, Los Angeles.
• SEC (5): Alabama, Florida (champion), Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt.
Tournament: March 8-11, Atlanta.
ONE-BID LEAGUES WITH PROJECTED CHAMPS
(Conference tournament in parentheses)
• AMERICA EAST: Vermont (March 2-4, 10)
• ATLANTIC 10: Xavier (March 7-10)
• ATLANTIC SUN: East Tennessee State (Thursday-Saturday)
• BIG SKY: Weber State (Saturday, March 6-7)
• BIG SOUTH: Winthrop (Today, Thursday, Saturday)
• BIG WEST: Long Beach (March 7-10)
• CONFERENCE-USA: Memphis (March 7-10)
• HORIZON: Butler (Today, Friday, Saturday, March 6)
• IVY: Penn (No Tournament)
• METRO ATLANTIC: Marist (Friday-March 5)
• MID-AMERICAN: Toledo (March 7-10)
• MID-CONTINENT: Oral Roberts (Saturday-March 6)
• MEAC: Delaware State (March 6-10)
• NORTHEAST: Central Connecticut (Thursday, March 4, March 7)
• OHIO VALLEY: Austin Peay (Tuesday, Friday, Saturday)
• PATRIOT: Holy Cross (Wednesday, Sunday, March 9)
• SOUTHERN: Davidson (Wednesday-Saturday)
• SOUTHLAND: Sam Houston (March 8-9, 11)
• SUN BELT: South Alabama (Wednesday, March 4-6)
• SWAC: Jackson State (March 7-10)
• WAC: Nevada (March 6, 8-10)
• WEST COAST: Gonzaga (Friday-March 5)
How do you see it?
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Does Byars top the list?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This surely would have been a laughable thought when the season started: a Vanderbilt player for SEC player of the year.
Yet Derrick Byars is making a stronger case for the honor after his big showing in Vandy’s upset of Kentucky over the weekend. Would he be your pick?
If not, who’s your choice? Big Baby at LSU, which is having a rough year? Anybody from Florida, which has four strong starters? Chris Lofton of Tennessee, who was injured for a while but has returned strong? What about Tre Kelly of South Carolina?
Give us your best five players for the All-SEC first team. There are a lot of outstanding players to choose from.
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Who’s your player of the year?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Picking an ACC player of the year might be just as difficult as to predict as who’ll win the conference tournament, depending on some upsets in recent games. But it’s not too soon to speculate on who will earn the league’s highest individual playing honor.
Which player would you pick? Tyler Hansbrough of UNC? How about Jared Dudley of Boston College? Could Al Thornton of Florida State win out while playing for a team that’s not assured of an NCAA bid? Then there is the Virginia backcourt of J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary. Are either one of them POY material? Anybody like Zabian Dowdell at Virginia Tech?
And what about your first-team All-ACC team? Give us your best five players of the season.
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Orangemen, Red Raiders on the verge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Even with a tough schedule this week Syracuse is one of many teams from BCS leagues that has made a strong push for NCAA consideration.
A convincing win by the Orangemen over Big East-leading Georgetown Monday night probably clinched a berth for Jim Boeheim’s team.
They’re 20-8 with an RPI in the 50s. They have plenty of company in making a late-season effort to get in. Texas Tech nipped Oklahoma State over the weekend, and with an 18-11 league and an RPI in the 40s, the Red Raiders are poised to claim a bid. They’ve got Big 12 bottom feeders Baylor and Iowa State remaining before the conference tourney.
Also trying to step into the mix, or hold on to what seemed like certain bids earlier in the season, are Clemson, West Virginia, Michigan, Stanford and Alabama, to name a few from the power conferences.
The mid-majors continue to make their mark, and make some of the big boys earn their way in the field. With the regular season winding down, and some conferences starting tournaments this week, which teams are your most likely party-crashers? Which well-known teams do you think will get left behind? And who will be the biggest surprises to receive invitations?
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Last time to make a good impression
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s the last week of the regular season and a whole bunch of teams are running out of chances to impress the Selection Committee. This is a huge week for:
— Georgia Tech (18-10, RPI 51): The Yellow Jackets finish with North Carolina (Thursday) and Boston College (Sunday) at home. Win them both and the Yellow Jackets are a lock. Split the games and they still should get in. Lose them both and Georgia Tech will have a very nervous Selection Sunday.
— Syracuse (20-8, RPI 53): The Orange are not in right now, but could play themselves into the field with a home win tonight against Georgetown (22-5, RPI 17) plus a win at Villanova (18-9, RPI 21) on Saturday.
— Purdue (18-10, RPI 47): The Boilermakers have four wins in the top 48 (Michigan State, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia) but are vulnerable if they lose this week to Minnesota (RPI 178) or Northwestern (167).
— Florida (25-4, RPI 7): After losing on consecutive Saturdays at Vanderbilt and LSU, the defending national champions are playing to hold on to a No. 1 seed. They play at Tennessee Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena, where the Vols are 15-0 this season. Then Kentucky (19-9, RPI 10) comes to Gainesville on Sunday. The Wildcats have lost four of their last five.
— Georgia (17-10, RPI 52): The Bulldogs could lock up a bid if they could find a way to win at Kentucky on Wednesday and on Senior Day against Tennessee on Saturday.
THE TOP 65
1: Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
2: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
3: North Carolina (ACC champ)
4: Florida (SEC champ)
5: Wisconsin (at-large)
6: Georgetown (Big East champ)
7: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
8: Kansas (at-large)
9: Memphis (C-USA champ)
10: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
11: Duke (at-large)
12: Pittsburgh (at-large)
13: Butler (Horizon champ)
14: Washington State (at-large)
15: Louisville (at-large)
16: Maryland (at-large)
17: Virginia Tech (at-large)
18: Marquette (at-large)
19: Arizona (at-large)
20: Virginia (at-large)
21: Vanderbilt (at-large)
22: Air Force (Mountain West champs)
23: Texas (at-large)
24: Kentucky (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Indiana (at-large)
27: Southern Cal (at-large)
28: Tennessee (at-large)
29: UNLV (at-large)
30: Stanford (at-large)
31: Creighton (at-large)
32: Boston College (at-large)
33: Michigan State (at-large)
34: Oregon (at-large)
35: Villanova (at-large)
36: BYU (at-large)
37: Notre Dame (at-large)
38: Texas Tech (at-large)
39: Illinois (at-large)
40: Georgia Tech (at-large)
41: Xavier (Atlantic 10 champ)
42: Winthrop (Big South champ)
43: Santa Clara (West Coast champ)
44: Alabama (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Purdue (at-large)
47: Missouri State (at-large)
48: Old Dominion (at-large)
49: Davidson (Southern champ)
50: Drexel (at-large)
51: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
52: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
53: Akron (MAC champ)
54: Vermont (America East champ)
55: Oral Roberts (Mid-Continent champ)
56: TAMU-CC (Southland champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Penn (Ivy League champ)
59: Marist (Metro Atlantic champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
62: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
65: Central Conn. (Northeast champ)
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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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Duke, Louisville on the rise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After reading Tony’s Saturday take on the NCAA tourney field, offer your thoughts:
MOVING UP
• Duke (21-7, RPI 10): The Blue Devils have moved up to a No. 3 seed with a three-game winning streak.
• Louisville (19-8, RPI 47): Two weeks ago the Cardinals were off the board and now Rick Pitino’s team is a No. 5 seed after four straight wins.
MOVING DOWN
• Clemson (18-10, RPI 44): The Tigers’ loss at Boston College Saturday could drop them all the way out.
• Oklahoma State: Loss at Texas Tech Saturday could make it the odd man out in the Big 12.
KEEP AN EYE ON
• Ole Miss (18-9, RPI 56): We want to put the Rebels in the Dance but they just CAN’T lose at South Carolina (13-13, RPI 89) today.
• Purdue (17-10, RPI 49) is still in the field as a No. 12 seed but that will change if the Boilermakers lose at Northwestern today.
THE TOP 65 BY SEEDS
1: Ohio State, Florida, UCLA, North Carolina
2: Wisconsin, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M
3: Memphis, Southern Illinois, Georgetown, Duke
4: Butler, Washington State, Air Force, Marquette
5: Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Arizona
6: Virginia, Indiana, Texas, Maryland
7: Nevada, Vanderbilt, Southern Cal, Tennessee
8: UNLV, Stanford, Creighton, Boston College
9: BYU, Michigan State, Oregon, Villanova
10: Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Notre Dame
11: Xavier, Winthrop, Santa Clara, Illinois
12: VCU, Purdue, Missouri State, Clemson
13: Davidson, Old Dominion, 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
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Is Big Baby bailing?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LSU’s in dead last in the SEC West, its NCAA hopes all but gone, memories of last year’s Final Four run virtually forgotten.
The Tigers blew a 16-point lead at Kentucky before falling. That shouldn’t have been a surprise. That they nearly pulled off a win at Rupp Arena without Glen Davis, out with an injury, was more intriguing.
LSU’s got another big clash on Saturday in Baton Rouge, playing host to defending NCAA champ Florida, which just clinched the SEC regular season crown. Davis’ status for that game is unknown, but even if he does play, Tigers fans might be getting one of their final glimpses of Big Baby.
Davis opted out of the NBA draft after his freshman season, but his sophomore year won’t help his pro stock. He’s dropped weight but isn’t in the best shape, and has openly vented his frustrations at having to carry such a heavy load.
Did Davis make a mistake by staying in college? Should he get out after this season? What do you finger as LSU’s problem this year in going 14-13 after a Final Four season? Is coach John Brady in any trouble?
Who else in the SEC has been a major disappointment this season? And what do you think of the league’s strength overall?
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Who are the Hokies?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two impressive wins over North Carolina. Another over Duke. A whopping 25-point loss to North Carolina State, which isn’t going anywhere. A 17-point win over Virginia, which is.
These are the Virginia Tech Hokies, at once the most surprising and maddening team in the ACC. They’re 19-8 and tied for second with a conference record of 9-4. This weekend they take on lowly Miami, which is coming off an upset of Virginia, also tied for second.
With the regular season winding down, Tech’s been battling to regain some of the consistency that raised eyebrows back in January. Coach Seth Greenberg’s team is a lock for the NCAA tourney.
But what do you think they’ll do in March? A first round exit, or a long run and possibly a Final Four chance? What other roller coaster teams do you see in the ACC? Besides North Carolina, are there any other teams in the league that look like Final Four contenders to you?
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Barnhart’s Weekend Watch
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here is the weekend watch for those nine conferences that are projected to get multiple bids. Projected bids are in parentheses.
After reading through the lists, talk up your picks — or take on the ones here.
ACC (8)
Locks: Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Boston College, Maryland.
Work to do: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State.
Weekend watch: Georgia Tech plays at Virginia on Saturday and closes with home games against North Carolina and Boston College. Win two out of three and the Yellow Jackets are in. Despite losing 8 of its last 10 Clemson (19-8) still has an RPI of 35 after losing to Duke Thursday night. The Tigers could use a win at Boston College on Saturday.
March Madness in Atlanta:
Check out the AJC’s Final Four pageBIG EAST (6)
Locks: Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Marquette, Villanova.
Work to do: Louisville, Notre Dame, West Virginia.
Weekend watch: Pittsburgh goes to Georgetown on Saturday and the winner will sit atop the Big East standings with a week to play. Notre Dame (21-7, RPI 37) would lock down its bid with a win Saturday at home over Marquette.
BIG TEN (6)
Locks: Wisconsin, Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State.
Work to do: Purdue, Illinois
Weekend watch: Wisconsin goes to Ohio State on Sunday where a win would give the Buckeyes (25-3, 13-1 Big Ten) a two-game lead in the Big Ten with a week to play. Purdue (17-10, RPI 49) plays Northwestern twice in its final three games. The Boilermakers will drop out with another loss.
BIG 12 (4)
Locks: Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas.
Work to do: Texas Tech, Kansas State, Oklahoma State.
Weekend watch: Texas Tech (17-11, RPI 45) hosts reeling Oklahoma State (18-8, RPI 42) on Saturday and the loser could be sitting at home when the NCAA Tournament starts.
COLONIAL (2)
Locks: VCU (Projected conference tournament winner)
Work to do: Old Dominion
Weekend watch: Old Dominion (22-7, RPI 36) has won 10 straight and is making a strong case for an at-large bid if it doesn’t win the Colonial Tournament, which starts March 3.
MISSOURI VALLEY (3)
Locks: Southern Illinois, Creighton.
Work to do: Missouri State, Bradley.
Weekend watch: Missouri State (19-9, RPI 33) had two tough losses down the stretch to Southern Illinois and non-conference Winthrop at home. The Bears need to close out the regular season with a home win against Drake and win at least one game in the MVC Tournament, which begins next Friday.
MOUNTAIN WEST (3)
Locks: Air Force, UNLV, BYU.
Work to do: None
Weekend watch: All three teams are ranked in the RPI top 20. BYU and Air Force meet on Tuesday in a game that could decide the regular season champion. But the team to watch is UNLV (22-6, RPI 11).
PAC-10 (6)
Locks: UCLA, Washington State, Oregon, Arizona.
Work to do: Southern Cal, Stanford.
Weekend watch: Southern Cal (20-8, RPI 51) helped its case with a win over Stanford Thursday night. The Trojans now finish with road games at Washington and Washington State. They can’t afford to lose both. Oregon finally stopped the bleeding with a huge home win over Washington State (22-5, RPI 25) Thursday night. The Ducks are in.
SEC (5)
Locks: Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama.
Work to do: Ole Miss, Georgia, Arkansas.
Weekend watch: The No. 1 rated conference should get six in the Big Dance but somebody has to step up in the next couple of weeks. Ole Miss (18-9, RPI 56) has three games remaining with South Carolina and Alabama on the road plus Auburn at home. Arkansas (16-11, RPI 50) has a huge home game with Tennessee on Saturday and finishes with Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Win two out of three and the Hogs just might slip in. Georgia (15-10, RPI 61) has an outside shot but has three tough games left with Mississippi State, Kentucky and Tennessee.
THE TOP 65
1: Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
2: Florida (SEC champ)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: North Carolina (ACC champ)
5: Wisconsin (at-large)
6: Kansas (at-large)
7: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
8: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
9: Memphis (C-USA champ)
10: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
11: Georgetown (at-large)
12: Washington State (at-large)
13: Butler (Horizon champ)
14: Duke (at-large(
15: Air Force (Mountain West champ))
16: Marquette (at-large)
17: Kentucky (at-large)
18: Virginia Tech (at-large)
19: Louisville (at-large)
20: Arizona (at-large)
21: Virginia (at-large)
22: Indiana (at-large)
23: Texas (at-large)
24: Maryland (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Vanderbilt (at-large)
27: Southern Cal (at-large)
28: Tennessee (at-large)
29: UNLV (at-large)
30: Stanford (at-large)
31: Creighton (at-large)
32: Boston College (at-large)
33: BYU (at-large)
34: Michigan State (at-large)
35: Oregon (at-large)
36: Villanova (at-large)
37: Texas Tech (at-large)
38: Georgia Tech (at-large)
39: Alabama (at-large)
40: Notre Dame (at-large)
41: Xavier (Atlantic 10 champ)
42: Winthrop (Big South champ)
43: Santa Clara (West Coast champ)
44: Illinois (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Purdue (at-large)
47: Missouri State (at-large)
48: Clemson (at-large)
49: Davidson (Southern champ)
50: Old Dominion (at-large)
51: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
52: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
53: Akron (MAC champ)
54: Vermont (America East champ)
55: Oral Roberts (Mid-Continent champ)
56: TAMU-CC (Southland champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Penn (Ivy League champ)
59: Marist (Metro Atlantic champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
62: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
65: Central Conn. (Northeast champ)
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Barnhart lets the Dogs out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After reading Tony’s Thursday take on the NCAA tourney field, offer your thoughts:
WHO’S IN
— Illinois (20-9, RPI 32): The Illini have won five of their last six and finish the season with two winnable road games against Penn State and Iowa. Illinois is vulnerable, however, because it doesn’t have a quality win on the road.
— Old Dominion (22-7, RPI): While middle of the road teams in the big conferences are stumbling down the stretch, the Monarchs of the Colonial Athletic Association are building quite a resume. They have won 10 straight and are 6-5 against the Top 100. They also won at Georgetown by 13 (75-62) back in November.
WHO’S OUT
— Georgia (15-9, RPI 59): It’s one thing to lose on the road in the SEC, the No. 1 conference in the RPI. It’s another thing not to show up as the Bulldogs failed to do in a 67-49 loss at Ole Miss. A team cannot give the selection committee a reason to leave them out. Wednesday’s loss, plus the season-ending injury to Mike Mercer, provided two reasons to leave the Dawgs at home.
— Oklahoma State (18-8, RPI 41): Sorry Cowboys, we just can’t watch the bleeding any more. Sean Sutton’s team has lost five of its last six and was missing in action Wednesday night in an embarrassing home loss (66-46) to Texas A&M. An NCAA team should not lose by 20 on its home floor.
WHO NEEDS A WIN
— Clemson (19-7, RPI 31): The Tigers have lost seven of nine since a 17-0 start. A win tonight against surging Duke (29-7, RPI 11) would be huge for Clemson. A loss would drop the Tigers to 5-8 in the ACC.
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
We project that 22 of the 31 conferences will receive one bid only to the NCAA Tournament. The remaining 43 bids will be distributed as follows:
ACC (8): Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland.
Big East (6): Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Marquette, Villanova.
Big Ten (6): Wisconsin, Ohio State, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State.
Big 12 (4): Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech.
Colonial (2): VCU, Old Dominion
Missouri Valley (3): Southern Illinois, Creighton, Missouri State.
Mountain West (3): Air Force, UNLV, BYU.
Pac-10 (6): UCLA, Washington State, Southern Cal, Oregon, Arizona, Stanford.
SEC (5): Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama.
BARNHART’S TOP 65 BY SEEDS
1-Ohio State, Florida, UCLA, North Carolina
2-Wisconsin, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M
3-Washington State, Memphis, Southern Illinois, Georgetown
4-Butler, Duke, Air Force, Marquette
5-Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Arizona
6-Virginia, Indiana, Texas, Maryland
7-Nevada, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Tennessee
8-UNLV, Southern Cal, Creighton, Boston College
9-BYU, Michigan State, Oregon, Villanova
10-Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Notre Dame
11-Xavier, Santa Clara, Winthrop, Illinois
12-VCU, Purdue, Missouri State, Clemson
13-Davidson, Old Dominion, 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
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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
• Georgia (15-9, RPI 51): The Bulldogs may not be here long if they lose at Ole Miss tonight, but three wins over the Top 50 (Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Arkansas) put the Bulldogs in the field today.
WHO’S OUT
• West Virginia (19-7, RPI 53): The Mountaineers have two good wins over UCLA and Villanova at home but that’s it. Tuesday night’s loss to Providence (17-9, RPI 61) does not help their case.
WHO NEEDS A WIN
• Oklahoma State (18-7, RPI 35) has lost four of its last five and needed double overtime to beat Texas Tech at home for its only win in that stretch. A win over Texas A&M at home tonight would really help the Cowboys.
• Georgia Tech (17-9, RPI 47) has a brutal finish as its last three games are with Virginia, North Carolina, and Boston College. That means the Yellow Jackets cannot slip up tonight against Wake Forest (13-13, RPI 117).
MOVING UP
• Michigan State (20-5, RPI 25) was concerned about its NCAA resume before Tuesday night’s upset of No. 1 Wisconsin (64-55). The Spartans are all but in the field.
MOVING DOWN
• Texas Tech (17-11, RPI 46) was just awful in an 80-51 loss at Texas Tuesday night. The Red Raiders have two wins over Texas A&M and one over Kansas but cannot afford to collapse down the stretch.
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
We project that 23 of the 31 conferences will receive one bid only to the NCAA Toournament. The remaining 42 bids will be distributed as follows:
• ACC (8): Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland.
• Big East (6): Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Marquette, Villanova.
• Big Ten (5): Wisconsin, Ohio State, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State.
• Big 12 (5): Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech.
• Missouri Valley (3): Southern Illinois, Creighton, Missouri State.
• Mountain West (3): Air Force, UNLV, BYU.
• Pac-10 (6): UCLA, Washington State, Southern Cal, Oregon, Arizona, Stanford.
• SEC (6): Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama.
THE TOP 65
1: Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
2: Florida (SEC champ)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: Wisconsin (at-large)
5: North Carolina (ACC champ)
6: Kansas (at-large)
7: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
8: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
9: Washington State (at-large)
10: Memphis (C-USA champ)
11: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
12: Georgetown (at-large)
13: Butler (Horizon champ)
14: Virginia (at-large)
15: Air Force (at-large)
16: Marquette (at-large)
17: Kentucky (at-large)
18: Virginia Tech (at-large)
19: Duke (at-large)
20: Southern Cal (at-large)
21: Villanova (at-large)
22: Indiana (at-large)
23: Vanderbilt (at-large)
24: Boston College (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Louisville (at-large)
27: Stanford (at-large)
28: Tennessee (at-large)
29: UNLV (at-large)
30: Arizona (at-large)
31: Creighton (at-large)
32: Texas (at-large)
33: BYU (at-large)
34: Oklahoma State (at-large)
35: Oregon (at-large)
36: Maryland (at-large)
37: Georgia Tech (at-large)
38: Alabama (at-large)
39: Winthrop (at-large)
40: Xavier (Atlantic 10 champ)
41: Michigan State (at-large)
42: Santa Clara (West Coast champ)
43: Missouri State (at-large)
44: Texas Tech (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Purdue (at-large)
47: Notre Dame (at-large)
48: Clemson (at-large)
49: Davidson (Southern champ)
50: Georgia (at-large)
51: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
52: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
53: Akron (MAC champ)
54: Vermont (America East champ)
55: Oral Roberts (Mid-Continent champ)
56: TAMU-CC (Southland champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Penn (Ivy League champ)
59: Marist (Metro Atlantic champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ),…LOST TO TENN TECH
61: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
62: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
65: Central Conn. (Northeast champ)
• How do you see it?
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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
• Notre Dame (20-6, RPI 44): All six of Notre Dame’s losses have been on the road and four of them have been by a total of 12 points. The Irish are still a little shaky because the best team they have beaten on the road was Syracuse (19-8, RPI 64).
WHO’S OUT
• Drexel (19-7, RPI 50): The Dragons have won at Villanova, Creighton, Syracuse, and Hofstra. The Dragons will challenge VCU in the Colonial Tournament.
WHO’S WORRIED
• West Virginia (19-6, RPI 46): The Mountaineers have two big home wins over UCLA and Villanova, but the best team they have beaten on the road was Seton Hall (RPI 134) Monday night. Two big road games coming up tonight at Providence and Feb. 27 at Pittsburgh
• Michigan State (19-8, RPI 33): The Spartans have a brutal four-game stretch to end the season starting with Wisconsin (26-2, RPI 5) tonight. After a home game with Indiana on Saturday, Michigan State goes to Michigan and Wisconsin to close out the regular season.
THE TOP 65
1: Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
2: Ohio State (at-large)
3: Florida (SEC champ)
4: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
5: North Carolina (ACC champ)
6: Kansas (at-large)
7: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
8: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
9: Washington State (at-large)
10: Memphis (C-USA champ)
11: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
12: Georgetown (at-large)
13: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
14: Butler (Horizon champ)
15: Virginia (at-large)
16: Marquette (at-large)
17: Kentucky (at-large)
18: Virginia Tech (at-large)
19: Duke (at-large)
20: Southern Cal (at-large)
21: Villanova (at-large)
22: Indiana (at-large)
23: Vanderbilt (at-large)
24: Boston College (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Louisville (at-large)
27: Stanford (at-large)
28: Tennessee (at-large)
29: UNLV (at-large)
30: Arizona (at-large)
31: Creighton (at-large)
32: Texas (at-large)
33: BYU (at-large)
34: Oklahoma State (at-large)
35: Oregon (at-large)
36: Maryland (at-large)
37: Texas Tech (at-large)
38: Georgia Tech (at-large)
39: Alabama (at-large)
40: Winthrop (at-large)
41: Xavier (Atlantic 10 champ)
42: Santa Clara (West Coast champ)
43: Missouri State (at-large)
44: Michigan State (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Purdue (at-large)
47: Notre Dame (at-large)
48: Clemson (at-large)
49: Davidson (Southern champ)
50: West Virginia (at-large)
51: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
52: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
53: Akron (MAC champ)
54: Vermont (America East champ)
55: Oral Roberts (Mid-Continent champ)
56: TAMU-CC (Southland champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Penn (Ivy League champ)
59: Marist (Metro Atlantic champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
62: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
65: Central Conn. (Northeast champ)
BREAKDOWN BY CONFERENCE
• ACC (8): Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland.
• Big East (7): Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Marquette, West Virginia, Villanova.
• Big Ten (5): Wisconsin, Ohio State, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State.
• Big 12 (5): Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech.
• COLONIAL (2): VCU, Drexel.
• Missouri Valley (3): Southern Illinois, Creighton, Missouri State.
• Mountain West (3): Air Force, UNLV, BYU.
• Pac-10 (6): UCLA, Washington State, Southern Cal, Oregon, Arizona, Stanford.
• SEC (5): Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama.
(23 Conferences with one bid only.)
• How do you see it?
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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?
Permalink | | Categories: SEC Watch
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?
Permalink | | Categories: ACC Watch
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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Tony Barnhart’s daily picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Following Tony’s update, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
WHO’S IN
• Louisville (18-8, RPI 53): Back to back road wins at Pittsburgh and Marquette proved that Rick Pitino’s Cardinals should be in the field.
• Drexel (19-7, RPI 51): Ignore the RPI. The Dragons won a Bracket Buster game at Creighton Saturday night. They are 12-4 on the road and have also won at Villanova, Syracuse, and Hofstra.
WHO’S OUT
• Illinois (18-9, RPI 39): The Illini are 3-8 against the Top 50 and the best team they have beat on the road is Northwestern (10-13).
• Florida State (17-10, RPI 38): The Seminoles have lost four straight and it figures to be five when they go to Maryland on Wednesday.
WHO’S WAITING IN THE WINGS
• Georgia (15-9, RPI 52): The Bulldogs have three wins against the top 50 but only one of those (Arkansas) has been on the road. They have two big road games with Mississippi and Kentucky coming up plus a home date with Tennessee. Win two of those three and Georgia should be in.
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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Tony Barnhart’s daily pics
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s projected NCAA field, the AJC’s Tony Barnhart first offers his conference-by-conference breakdown, then his 65 daily picks.
Following both of Tony’s forecasts, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
KEEP AN EYE ON
• Winthrop (23-4) Which won a huge game over Missouri State (77-66) Friday night on the road. That win could make Winthrop a lock for the NCAA Tournament despite its RPI of 83. Winthrop is 12-0 in the Big South and its four losses were to North Carolina (22-4, RPI 3), Maryland (19-7, RPI 31), Wisconsin (25-2, RPI 4) and Texas A&M (21-4, RPI 18).
• Conversely, the loss at home was not good for Missouri State (18-8, RPI 34)if it wants to be an at-large team. Missouri has a big game with Wichita State on Tuesday.
TOP STORY LINES ON SATURDAY
• Florida (24-2) takes its 17-game winning streak on the road to Vanderbilt. The Gators had to rally from 18 points down to beat Alabama on Wednesday night and are facing another team in Vanderbilt (17-8) that needs a big win to improve its NCAA hopes.
• North Carolina (22-4, 8-3 ACC) tries to get back on top in the ACC standings by winning at Boston College (18-7, 9-3 ACC).
• UCLA (22-3) had to rally to beat Arizona State 67-61 Thursday night. The Bruins face a tougher challenge when they go to Arizona (17-8).
• Unless Vanderbilt upsets Florida, the best game of the day will be Southern Illinois (22-5) at Butler (24-3).
BY CONFERENCE
NOTE: At this moment there are 23 conferences that will receive only one bid to the NCAA tournament. We project the remaining 42 spots in the field will be distributed as follows:
ACC (9 teams):
• Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland.
BIG EAST (5):
• Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Marquette, West Virginia, Villanova.
BIG TEN (6):
• Wisconsin, Ohio State, Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State.
BIG 12 (5):
• Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech.
MISSOURI VALLEY (3)
• Southern Illinois, Creighton, Missouri State.
MOUNTAIN WEST (3)
• In: Air Force, BYU, UNLV.
PAC-10 (6)
• UCLA, Washington State, Southern Cal, Oregon, Arizona, Stanford.
SEC (5)
• Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama.
TONY RANKS THE NCAA FIELD
If he made his bracket today, AJC’s Tony Barnhart would pick these teams to make it to the Big Dance:
1: Florida (SEC champ)
2: Wisconsin (Big Ten camp)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: Ohio State (at-large)
- North Carolina (ACC champ)
6: Kansas (at-large)
7: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
8: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
9: Washington State (at-large)
10: Memphis (C-USA champ)
11: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
12: Marquette (at-large)
13: Boston College (at-large)
14: Kentucky (at-large)
15: Virginia (at-large)
16: Virginia Tech (at-large)
17: Butler (Horizon champ)
18: Indiana (at-large)
19: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
- Southern Cal (at-large)
21: Villanova (at-large)
22: Georgetown (at-large)
23: Oklahoma State (at-large)
24: Stanford (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Arizona (at-large)
27: Duke (at-large)
28: Tennessee (at-large)
29: BYU (at-large)
30: Oregon (at-large)
31: Creighton (at-large)
32: Texas (at-large)
33: UNLV (at-large)
34: Florida State (at-large)
35: Vanderbilt (at-large)
36: Gonzaga (West Coast champ)
36: Maryland (at-large)
37: Georgia Tech (at-large)
39: Texas Tech (at-large)
40: Missouri State (at-large)
41: Xavier (A-10 champ)
42: Alabama (at-large)
43: Clemson (at-large)
44: Michigan State (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Purdue (at-large)
46: Illinois (at-large)
48: Winthrop (at-large)
49: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
50: Davidson (Southern champ)
51: West Virginia (Big South champ)
52: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
53: TAMU-CC (Southland champ)
54: Toledo (MAC champ)
55: Vermont (America East)
56: Oral Roberts ((Mid-Continent champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champs)
58: Penn (Ivy League champs)
59: Marist (Metro Atlantic champs)…WON
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champs)
61: Delaware State (MEAC champs)
62: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champs)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
65: Central Conn. (Northeast champs)
• What do you think of Tony’s conference choices, along with his comments?
• And how does his overall 65 picks differ from yours?
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Tony Barnhart’s Weekend Watch
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today we break down the NCAA bids for each conference, projecting league champions and point out teams and games to watch over the weekend:
ACC (9) — Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina (projected champion), Virginia, Virginia Tech.
Weekend watch: Georgia Tech (17-8, RPI 43) got in this week as the ninth team from the ACC. The Yellow Jackets would probably lock down a bid with a win Sunday at Duke (19-7, RPI 11). Clemson (19-6, RPI 28) has lost six of its last eight and could use a win at home against Maryland (19-7 RPI 32).
March Madness in Atlanta:
Weekend watch: Vermont (20-6, RPI 84) has won eight straight and will enter the America East Tournament (March 2-4, 10) as the No. 1 seed.
ATLANTIC 10 (1) — Xavier (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Xavier (18-7, RPI 41) is locked in a battle with Rhode Island (14-10) and UMass (17-7) for the regular season championship. Xavier and Rhode Island meet on Feb. 21.
ATLANTIC SUN (1) — East Tennessee State (projected champion)
Weekend watch: ETSU (17-8, RPI 135) will easily win the regular-season championship but must win the tournament (March 1-3 on its home floor) to get in the field.
BIG EAST (5) — Georgetown, Marquette, Pittsburgh (projected champion), Villanova, West Virginia.
Weekend watch: Notre Dame (18-6, RPI 55) dropped out this week. Georgetown (19-5, RPI 20) has a big game Saturday at Villanova (17-7, RPI 15).
BIG SKY (1) — Weber State (Projected champion)
Weekend watch: Weber State (15-10, RPI 147) does not play again until its regular-season finale at Sacramento State on Feb. 26. The semifinals and finals of the Big Sky Tournament (March 6-7) will be played at Weber State.
BIG SOUTH (1) — Winthrop (Projected champion)
Weekend watch: Winthrop (18-4, RPI 83) steps out of conference tonight with a Bracket Buster game at Missouri State (18-8, RPI 34) of the Missouri Valley.
BIG TEN (6) — Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin (projected champion).
Weekend watch: Purdue (16-9, RPI 42) makes the field today after beating Indiana (81-68) Thursday night.
BIG 12 (5) — Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M (projected champion), Texas Tech.
Weekend watch: Oklahoma State (18-6, RPI 24) has lost three of its last four games. After a Saturday home game with Missouri, the Cowboys have to play Texas A&M (21-4, RPI 18), Texas Tech (16-10, RPI 36), and Kansas State (18-8, RPI 53) in the span of six days.
BIG WEST (1) — Long Beach State (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Long Beach State (17-6, RPI 72) still leads the conference with wins over UC Santa Barbara and Cal State-Fullerton over the last seven days. The 49ers have a Bracket Buster game on Saturday with Hawaii.
COLONIAL (1) — VCU (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Old Dominion (20-7, RPI 50) is only a half game back of VCU (22-5 RPI 45). The teams split games during the regular season. VCU has a Bracket Buster game with Bradley (17-10, RPI 41) at home on Saturday.
CONFERENCE USA (1) — Memphis (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Memphis (22-3 RPI 9) is now playing for the highest possible seed it can get. The Tigers could help that cause by winning at Gonzaga (18-9, RPI 69) in a Bracket Buster game on Saturday.
HORIZON (1) — Butler (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Butler (22-3, RPI 29) should be in the NCAA field whether or not it wins the Horizon Tournament. The Bulldogs will be a lock if they beat Southern Illinois (21-5, RPI) in a Bracket Buster game at home.
IVY (1) — Penn (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Penn (14-8, RPI 105) is back on top in the league but has big games left with Cornell (12-9) and Yale (9-11) who are tied for second place. The regular season champ gets the automatic bid.
METRO ATLANTIC (1) — Marist (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Marist (20-7, RPI 113) holds a half-game lead in the conference standings but steps out of the league to play a Bracket Buster game with Colgate (8-16) on Saturday.
MAC (1) — Toledo (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Toledo (14-10, RPI 94) beat Akron last Saturday to become the favorite to win the conference tournament. The Rockets have a huge Bracket Buster game with Old Dominion on Saturday.
MEAC (1) — Delaware State (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Delaware State (13-11, RPI 138) holds a 2 game lead in the standings with five games to play. The Hornets do not play a team with a winning record down the stretch.
MID-CONTINENT (1) — Oral Roberts (projected champion).
Weekend watch: Oral Roberts (17-8, RPI 95) has won four straight going into a Bracket Buster game with Utah State (18-7, RPI 65) on Saturday.
MISSOURI VALLEY (3) — Southern Illinois (projected champion), Creighton, Missouri State
Weekend watch: Southern Illinois (21-5, RPI 8) posted huge wins over Creighton and Missouri State over the past seven days. The Salukis, who are vying for a No. 3 seed, play at Butler on Saturday.
MOUNTAIN WEST (3) — Air Force, BYU (projected champion), UNLV
Weekend watch: BYU (19-6, RPI 22) has a one game lead over Air Force and a two-game lead over UNLV in the conference standings.
NORTHEAST (1) — Central Connecticut State (projected champion)
Weekend watch: The Blue Devils (17-10, RPI 167) have a four-game lead in the standings with only three games left to play. They will get to play all of their conference tournament games on their home floor.
OHIO VALLEY (1) — Austin Peay (projected champion)
Weekend watch: With a win over Samford last Saturday, Austin Peay (16-7, RPI 107) has already clinched the regular-season championship. The Governors play at Akron in a Bracket Buster game on Saturday.
PAC-10 (6) — Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA (projected champion), Washington State.
Weekend watch: UCLA had to rally to beat Arizona State (67-61) Thursday night and has a big game at Arizona (17-8, RPI 10) on Saturday. Oregon (20-6, RPI 32) continues to plummet as it has lost five of its last seven. The Ducks could lose again Saturday at Stanford.
PATRIOT (1) — Holy Cross (projected champion).
Weekend watch: Holy Cross (19-7, RPI 67) and Bucknell (16-8, RPI 95) are tied for the conference lead going into the weekend. Both have Bracket Buster games on Saturday as Holy Cross plays Hofstra and Bucknell plays Towson.
SEC (5) — Alabama, Florida (projected champion), Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt.
Weekend watch: Arkansas (15-10, RPI 47) drops out after a bad loss to Mississippi State (84-60). The Hogs could still play their way back in or a team like Georgia (14-9, RPI 52) might have a shot. The SEC should still get six teams.
SOUTHERN (1) — Davidson (projected champion). Weekend watch: Davidson (20-4, RPI 59) has been leading this league all season but will still have to beat Appalachian State (17-6, RPI 60) to win the conference tournament (Feb. 28-March 3), which will be played in Charleston.
SOUTHLAND (1) — Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Sam Houston (15-7, RPI 96) is closing fast on TAMU-CC (16-5, RPI 87) in the conference standings. The two teams meet again on March 3.
SUN BELT (1) — South Alabama (projected champion).
Weekend watch: South Alabama (18-7, RPI 98) has won 13 straight games with only three games left in the regular season.
SWAC (1) — Jackson State (projected champion).
Weekend watch: Jackson State (14-11), Mississippi Valley State (12-13), and Texas Southern (9-11) are all tied in the loss column in the conference standings with three weekends left in the regular season.
WAC (1) — Nevada (projected champion).
Weekend watch: Nevada (22-2, RPI 26) will be trying to improve its NCAA seed when it hosts Northern Iowa (15-11, RPI 88) in a Bracket Buster game on Saturday.
WEST COAST (1) — Gonzaga (projected champion)
Weekend watch: Gonzaga (18-9, RPI 69) is now in second place behind Santa Clara (18-7, RPI 77). Things won’t get much better on Saturday when the Bulldogs host Memphis in a Bracket Buster game.
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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.
RISING
• Arizona (17-7, RPI 6) could nail down a very good seed with a win tonight against UCLA (20-3, RPI 1) in Tucson. The Wildcats finish the regular season with three road games (Arizona State, California, Stanford).
• Purdue (16-9, RPI 42) could play its way into the field with a win at home tonight against Indiana (17-6, RPI 14).
• Old Dominion (20-7, RPI) is not in the field yet, but the Monarchs of the Colonial have won eight straight and have a big Bracket Buster game at Toledo on Saturday.
• Virginia Tech (17-7, RPI 19) has two wins over North Carolina and seven in the Top 50. The Hokies have two tough road games left at N.C. State (Sunday) and Virginia (March 1).
FALLING
• Boston College (18-7, RPI 26) drops from a No. 3 to a No. 4 seed after losing at home to Duke Wednesday night. Southern Illinois (21-5, RPI 9) moves on to the No. 3 line.
• Marquette (20-6, RPI 27) didn’t actually fall but is in danger of losing its No. 3 seed after a loss at DePaul (72-67) Wednesday night.
• Clemson (19-6, RPI 28) continues to fall after losing at Wake Forest 67-65 Wednesday night. The Tigers are now 2-6 since their 17-0 start but will get in the field because of five wins against the Top 50.
• Arkansas (15-10, RPI 47) is still in the field but it may not be for long. The Razorbacks had a bad loss at Mississippi State (84-60) Wednesday night. The Hogs still have to play Tennessee and Vanderbilt down the stretch.
TONY’S TOP 65
1: Florida (SEC champ)
2: Wisconsin (Big Ten camp)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: Ohio State (at-large)
5: North Carolina (ACC champ)
6: Kansas (at-large)
7: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
8: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
9: Washington State (at-large)
10: Memphis (C-USA champ)
11: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
12: Marquette (at-large)
13: Boston College (at-large)
14: Kentucky (at-large)
15: Virginia (at-large)
16: Virginia Tech (at-large)
17: Butler (Horizon champ)
18: Indiana (at-large)
19: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
20: Oklahoma State (at-large)
21: Villanova (at-large)
22: Oregon (at-large)
23: Southern Cal (at-large)
24: Stanford (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Arizona (at-large)
27: Duke (at-large)
28: Tennessee (at-large)
29: BYU (at-large)
30: Georgetown (at-large)
31: Creighton (at-large)
32: Texas (at-large)
33: UNLV (at-large)
34: Florida State (at-large)
35: Vanderbilt (at-large)
36: Gonzaga (West Coast champ)
37: Missouri State (at-large)
38: Maryland (at-large)
39: Georgia Tech (at-large)
40: Texas Tech (at-large)
41: Xavier (A-10 champ)
42: Alabama (at-large)
43: Clemson (at-large)
44: Michigan State (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Arkansas (at-large)
46: Illinois (at-large)
48: West Virginia (at-large)
49: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
50: Davidson (Southern champ)
51: Winthrop (Big South champ)
52: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
53: TAMU-CC (Southland champ)
54: Akron (MAC champ)
55: Vermont (America East champ)
56: Oral Roberts ((Mid-Continent champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champs)
58: Penn (Ivy League champs)
59: Marist (Metro Atlantic champs)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champs)
61: Delaware State (MEAC champs)
62: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champs)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
65: Central Conn. (Northeast champs)
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
• ACC (9): Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland.
• Big East (5): Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Marquette, West Virginia, Villanova.
• Big Ten (5): Wisconsin, Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State.
• Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech.
• Missouri Valley (3): Southern Illinois, Creighton, Missouri State.
• Mountain West (3): Air Force, UNLV, BYU.
• Pac-10 (6): UCLA, Washington State, Southern Cal, Oregon, Arizona, Stanford.
• SEC (6): Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas.
(23 conferences with one bid only.)
• What do you think of Tony’s view of who’s rising and who’s falling?
• And how does his overall field differ from yours?
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Something to gobble about
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
HoopHead does intend to do a more nationwide tour of the college basketball scene as it gets closer to March, but some of the most compelling action for the moment remains in a very parochial location.
The discombobulated ACC sprung another gasket Tuesday when Virginia Tech nipped the Tar Heels in overtime. The Hokies pulled off two remarkable sweeps: taking both regular season games from Uncle Roy’s Boys, and winning at both the Deandome and Cameron Indoor in the same season.
Leading theory about the sucess of Greenberg’s Group: It helps to have senior guards. And is there a team that’s better prepared for the rigors of March?
It’s hard to dispute that few teams in Tech’s position have a better array of good wins.
Here’s a blast from the past that’s worth keeping an eye on:
The Hoyas are back under John Thompson III, minus Daddy’s paranoia. That was a very convincing win for Georgetown over a West Virginia team that had just knocked off UCLA, further clouding the No. 1 seed picture.**
The forecast is even more in doubt after UNC fell on the same night that Texas A & M got nipped by Texas Tech for the second time this season. Bobby Knight’s team is on NCAA life support, and needs a few more quality wins to breathe on its own.
It’s still hard to see any current likely No. 2 ready to move up, at least at this moment. Pittsburgh took a bad L to the U of L, giving the Cards something to chirp about. Would you make Wisconsin a No. 1? Ohio State? Kansas?
No envy here for the forthcoming task of the NCAA selection committee.
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Tony Barnhart’s daily picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Following Tony’s forecasts, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
WHO’S IN
• Georgia Tech (17-8, RPI 45) after beating Florida State on the road Tuesday night. The Yellow Jackets now have three wins against the Top 25 in the RPI and seven wins against the Top 50.
• Texas Tech (16-10, RPI 34) seemed out after four straight losses but then won a big one at Texas Tech Tuesday night. The Red Raiders now have two wins over Texas Tech and one over Kansas.
WHO’S OUT
• Notre Dame (18-6, RPI 55) has only one win against the Top 25 and only three against the Top 50.
• Kansas State (18-8, RPI 52) had a terrible loss at Nebraska (13-9, RPI 79) Tuesday night. The Wildcats have only one win against the Top 50, that coming against No. 49 Texas.
WORTH NOTING
• Texas A&M slips back to a No. 2 seed while UCLA goes back to a No. 1.
• North Carolina (22-4, RPI 3) drops to a No. 2 seed after losing to Virginia Tech at home. Ohio State moves into a No. 1.
• Purdue (16-9, RPI 43) may knock fellow Big Ten team Michigan State (18-8, RPI 34) if the Boilermakers win at home against Indiana on Thursday. That game was postponed from Wednesday due to snow.
TONY BARNHART’S TOP 65
1: Florida (SEC champ)
2: Wisconsin (Big Ten camp)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: Ohio State (at-large)
5: North Carolina (ACC champ)
6: Kansas (at-large)
7: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
8: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
9: Washington State (at-large)
10: Memphis (C-USA champ)
11: Marquette (at-large)
12: Boston College (at-large)
13: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley Champ)
14: Kentucky (at-large)
15: Virginia (at-large)
16: Virginia Tech (at-large)
17: Butler (Horizon champ)
18: Indiana (at-large)
19: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
20: Oklahoma State (at-large)
21: Villanova (at-large)
22: Oregon (at-large(
23: Southern Cal (at-large)
24: Stanford (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Arizona (at-large)
27: Duke (at-large)
28: Tennessee (at-large)
29: BYU (at-large)
30: Georgetown (at-large)
31: Creighton (at-large)
32: Texas (at-large)
33: UNLV (at-large)
34: Florida State (at-large)
35: Vanderbilt (at-large)
36: Gonzaga (West Coast champ)
37: Missouri State (at-large)
38: Maryland (at-large)
39: Georgia Tech (at-large)
40: Texas Tech (at-large)
41: Clemson (at-large)
42: Alabama (at-large)
43: Arkansas (at-large)
44: Michigan State (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Illinois (at-large)
47: Xavier (A-10 champ)
48: West Virginia (at-large)
49: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
50: Davidson (Southern champ)
51: Winthrop (Big South champ)
52: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
53: TAMU-CC (Southland champ)
54: Akron (MAC champ)
55: Vermont (America East champ)
56: Oral Roberts ((Mid-Continent champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champs)
58: Penn (Ivy League champs)
59: Marist (Metro Atlantic champs)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champs)
61: Delaware State (MEAC champs)
62: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champs)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
65: Central Conn. (Northeast champs)
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
• ACC (9): Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland.
• Big East (5): Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Marquette, West Virginia, Villanova.
• Big Ten (5): Wisconsin, Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State.
• Big 12 (5): Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech.
• Missouri Valley (3): Southern Illinois, Creighton, Missouri State.
• Mountain West (3): Air Force, UNLV, BYU.
• Pac-10 (6): UCLA, Washington State, Southern Cal, Oregon, Arizona, Stanford.
• SEC (6): Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas.
(23 conferences with one bid only.)
TOP 65 BY SEEDS
1-Florida, Wisconsin, UCLA, Ohio State
2-North Carolina, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M
3-Washington State, Memphis, Marquette, Boston College
4-Southern Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, Virginia Tech
5-Butler, Indiana, Air Force, Oklahoma State
6-Villanova, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford
7-Nevada, Arizona, Duke, Tennessee
8-BYU, Georgetown, Creighton, Texas
9-UNLV, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Gonzaga
10-Missouri State, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech
11-Clemson, Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan State
12-VCU, Illinois, Xavier, West Virginia
13-Holy Cross, Davidson, Winthrop, Long Beach State
14-TAMU-CC, Akron, Vermont, Oral Roberts
15-South Alabama, Penn, Marist, Austin Peay
16-Delaware State, East Tenn. State, Weber State, Jackson State, Central Conn
• Play-in game: Jackson State vs. Central Connecticut
• What do you think of Tony’s conference choices, along with his comments?
• And how does his overall 65 picks differ from yours?
Permalink | Comments (41) | Categories: Tony Barnhart's daily picks
Tech, UGA waiting in the wings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Waiting in the wings
• Georgia Tech (16-8, RPI 57): The Yellow Jackets are playing better but they MUST win at least one of the next two on the road at Florida State (17-7, RPI 29) and Duke (18-7, RPI 17).
• Louisville (17-8, RPI 54): The Cardinals, who were impressive in beating Pittsburgh Monday night, could jump into the field with a win at Marquette (20-5, RPI 22) on Saturday.
• Purdue (16-9, RPI 41): Wednesday night’s game at Indiana (17-6, RPI 15) is huge for the Boilermakers.
• Wright State (19-8, RPI 87): The Raiders are on top in the Horizon standings after beating Butler (22-3, RPI 31). If Wright State wins the conference tournament, Butler should still get in.
• Georgia (13-9, RPI 43): This is not a good time to be playing Kennesaw State.
In trouble
• West Virginia (18-6, RPI 40) needed a good road win after upsetting UCLA at home on Saturday. The Mountaineers didn’t get it, losing at Georgetown (71-53) Monday night.
• Gonzaga (18-9, RPI 64) drops and could fall further after suspending forward Josh Heytvelt. The Zags lost to Santa Clara (84-73) to snap their 50-game winning streak at home.
• Notre Dame (18-6, RPI 52): The Irish have won only one road game in the Big East this season. They cannot afford another bad loss.
• Texas Tech (15-10, RPI 47): The Red Raiders have lost five straight. With road games at Texas A&M and Texas coming up in the next seven days, they are about done.
• Michigan State (17-8, RPI 42): The Spartans have lost four straight and must absolutely beat Michigan (17-8, RPI 59) tonight at East Lansing.
BARNHART’S TOP 65 FOR TUESDAY, FEB. 13
1: Florida (SEC champ)
2: North Carolina (ACC champ)
3: Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
4: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
5: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
6: Ohio State (at-large)
7: Kansas (at-large)
8: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
9: Washington State (at-large)
10: Memphis (C-USA champ)
11: Marquette (at-large)
12: Kentucky (at-large)
13: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley Champ)
14: Boston College (at-large)
15: Virginia (at-large)
16: Oregon (at-large)
17: Butler (Horizon champ)
18: Indiana (at-large)
19: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
20: Oklahoma State (at-large)
21: Villanova (at-large)
22: Virginia Tech (at-large)
23: Southern Cal (at-large)
24: Stanford (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Arizona (at-large)
27: Duke (at-large)
28: Florida State (at-large)
29: BYU (at-large)
30: Georgetown (at-large)
31: UNLV (at-large)
32: Tennessee (at-large)
33: Creighton (at-large)
34: Texas (at-large)
35: Vanderbilt (at-large)
36: Gonzaga (West Coast champ)
37: Missouri State (at-large)
38: Maryland (at-large)
39: Notre Dame (at-large)
40: Kansas State (at-large)
41: Clemson (at-large)
42: Alabama (at-large)
43: Arkansas (at-large)
44: Michigan State (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Illinois (at-large)
47: Xavier (A-10 champ)
48: West Virginia (at-large)
49: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
50: Davidson (Southern champ)
51: Winthrop (Big South champ)
52: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
53: TAMU-CC (Southland champ)
54: Akron (MAC champ)
55: Vermont (America East champ)
56: Oral Roberts ((Mid-Continent champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Penn (Ivy League champ)
59: Marist (Metro Atlantic champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
62: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
65: Central Conn. (Northeast champ)
Conference Breakdown
ACC:8
Big East: 6
Big Ten: 5
Big 12: 5
Missouri Valley: 3
Mountain West: 3
Pac-10: 6
SEC: 6
NOTE: There are 23 conferences that will receive only one bid to the NCAA Tournament.
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Breaking down the seeds
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NOTE: At this moment there are 23 conferences that will receive only one bid to the NCAA Tournament. We project that the remaining 42 spots in the field will be distributed as follows.
ACC (8)
In: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech.
Bubble: Georgia Tech (16-8, RPI 56).
Comment: After four straight losses Duke (18-7, RPI 18) has dropped to a No. 7 seed and is falling fast. The ACC has eight teams in the RPI Top 35.
BIG EAST (6)
In: Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Villanova, West Virginia.
Bubble: None.
Comment: West Virginia (18-5, RPI 39) did itself a world of good by knocking off UCLA, which was No. 1 in the RPI. The Mountaineers still need to beat somebody decent on the road. They’ll get a chance tonight against Georgetown (18-5, RPI 26).
BIG TEN (5)
In: Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin
Bubble: Purdue (16-9, RPI 41)
Comment: Some folks already have Purdue in the field. If the Boilermakers, who took Ohio State to the wire last Saturday, came at home Wednesday against Indiana, we might put them in as well.
BIG 12 (5)
In: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M. Bubble: Texas Tech (15-10, RPI 45)
Comment: With an RPI of 54, some folks think Texas (17-7) may not belong in the field. Beating Oklahoma State (18-5, RPI 20) tonight in Austin would probably put and end to that argument.
MISSOURI VALLEY (3)
In: Creighton, Missouri State, Southern Illinois.
Bubble: Bradley (16-10, RPI 48).
Comment: Southern Illinois (20-5, RPI) proved itself to be the class of the league by beating Creighton on Saturday. We have the Salukis as a No. 4 seed but they could move up by beating Missouri State (18-7, RPI 32) on the road Tuesday night.
MOUNTAIN WEST (3)
In: Air Force, BYU, UNLV.
Bubble: None.
Comment: Slow week in the MWC. Next week the leaders start to face off. BYU (18-6, RPI 23) has won six straight.
PAC-10 (6)
In: Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington State.
Bubble: None.
Comment: UCLA (20-3, RPI 1) drops to a No. 2 seed after losing to West Virginia. The Bruins have lost three of their last four road games. Southern Cal (18-7, RPI 47) has a big game at Arizona (17-7, RPI 6) Thursday night.
SEC (6)
In: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Bubble: Georgia (13-9, RPI 43).
Comment: Despite Alabama’s loss to Ole Miss and Arkansas’s loss to LSU, both teams remain in the RPI top 40. Alabama (18-6, RPI 30) has a tough patch coming up with road games at Florida (Wednesday) and Tennessee (Feb. 21) plus a home game with Kentucky on Saturday. That could open the door for Georgia.
BARNHART’S TOP 65 BY SEEDS FOR MONDAY, FEB. 12
1-Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Texas A&M
2-UCLA, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Kansas
3-Kentucky, Washington State, Memphis, Marquette
4-Southern Illinois, Virginia, Oregon, Boston College
5-Butler, Indiana, Air Force, Oklahoma State
6-Villanova, Virginia Tech, Southern Cal, Stanford
7-Nevada, Gonzaga, Duke, Florida State
8-BYU, Arizona, UNLV, Tennessee
9-Creighton, Texas, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame
10-Missouri State, Maryland, Georgetown, Kansas State
11-Clemson, Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan State
12-VCU, Illinois, UMass, West Virginia
13-Holy Cross, Davidson, Winthrop, Long Beach State
14-TAMU-CC, Akron, Vermont, Oral Roberts
15-South Alabama, Penn, Marist, Austin Peay,
16-Delaware State, East Tenn. State, Weber State, Jackson State, Central Conn
Play-in game: Jackson State vs. Central Connecticut
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Rebels catching on
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After knocking off Alabama on Saturday, Ole Miss is tied with the Crimson Tide with a 5-5 record in the SEC West. More importantly, the Rebels are making a serious bid for NCAA tournament consideration with a 16-8 record and an RPI of 55.
First-year coach Andy Kennedy may be doing the most surprising job in the SEC. On Saturday, the Rebels played before a school record home crowd of 9,452 and have already clinched their first winning seasons in five years.
Which SEC teams do you have listed as being NCAA-worthy? Does Ole Miss merit a look, or do they still have some work remaining?
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Terrapins snap back
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Maryland breathed life into its fading NCAA hopes Sunday with a 72-60 win over Duke. The Terrapins settled down after a slow start to send the Blue Devils to their fourth straight loss, the longest skid for a Duke team in 11 years.
The win pushes Maryland to an 18-7 win overall and 4-6 in the ACC, the same as Georgia Tech. Wednesday’s game at N.C. State could determine the fate of the Terps, who have been an enigmatic team all season.
A number prognosticators have the ACC pegged for eight NCAA berths, with Maryland riding the bubble. Which ACC teams would you put in your bracket if you were filling one out today?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: ACC Watch
Raiders and Boilers make their move
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Heartland is the place to find this week’s NCAA Party Crashers as the number of teams around the country vying for tourney bids thickens.
Butler’s status as king of the mid-majors took a bit of a blow with a 77-65 loss to Wright State, which has a half-game lead over the Bulldogs in the Horizon League. The Raiders of Wright State are 19-8 overall, but probably will have to win the conference tourney to get an NCAA berth, since their RPI is 85.
One state over, in Indiana, Purdue is in the thick for a berth from the Big Ten despite a close loss to Ohio State over the weekend. The Boilermakers, who play archrival Indiana Thursday (in a game postponed a day because of Midwestern snow storms), are 16-9 with an RPI of 40.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Party Crashers
Tide rolls out, Mountaineers seal deal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After a wild Saturday nobody dropped out but there was movement in the Top 65:
—Alabama (18-6 RPI 31) drops after losing another road game to Ole Miss and now has games with Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee.
—Arkansas (15-8. RPI 33) which lost at LSU, is still in but the Hogs can’t afford to stumble down the stretch.
—West Virginia (18-6, RPI 36) all but secures its spot in the field with a home win over UCLA. UCLA drops to No. 5 and Texas A&M moves up.
—We were ready to give Virginia some love until they got waxed at Virginia Tech.
—Illinois (18-9, RPI 38) is still in despite a loss at Indiana, but also keep an eye on Purdue (16-9, RPI 40). The Boilermakers took Ohio State to the final minute before losing 63-56.
1: Florida (SEC champ)
2: North Carolina (ACC champ)
3: Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
4: Texas A%M (Big 12 champ)
5: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
6: Ohio State (at-large)
7: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
8: Kansas (at-large)
9: Washington State (at-large)
10: Memphis (C-USA champ)
11: Marquette (at-large)
12: Kentucky (at-large)
13: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
14: Southern Cal (at-large)
15: Oregon (at-large)
16: Butler (Horizon champ)
17: Duke (at-large)
18: Indiana (at-large)
19: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
20: Stanford (at-large)
21: Villanova (at-large)
22: Florida State (at-large)
23: Oklahoma State (at-large)
24: Virginia Tech (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Gonzaga (West Coast champ)
27: BYU (at-large)
28: Boston College (at-large)
29: Virginia (at-large)
30: Arizona (at-large)
31: Tennessee (at-large)
32: Vanderbilt (at-large)
33: Creighton (at-large)
34: Texas (at-large)
35: UNLV (at-large)
36: Georgetown (at-large)
37: Missouri State (at-large)
38: Michigan State (at-large)
39: Notre Dame (at-large)
40: Kansas State (at-large)
41: Clemson (at-large)
42: West Virginia at-large)
43: Arkansas (at-large)
44: Alabama (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Illinois (at-large)
47: UMass (A-10 champ)
48: Maryland (at-large)
49: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
50: Davidson (Southern champ)
51: Winthrop (Big South champ)
52: TAMU-CC (Soutland champ)
53: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
54: Akron (MAC champ)
55: Vermont (America East champ)
56: Oral Roberts ((Mid-Contient champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Marist (Metro Atlantic champ)
59: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
60: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
61: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champ)
62: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
63: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
64: Yale (Ivy champ)
65: Central Conn. State (Northeast champ)
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
ACC: 8
Big East: 6
Big Ten: 5
Big 12: 5
Missouri Valley: 3
Mountain West: 3
Pac-10: 6
SEC: 6
23 Conferences with one bid only
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Noting some endangered teams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here are the 65 teams that Tony Barnhart projects will go into the NCAA Tournament field as Saturday’s play begins. There are several teams in this list from the power conferences—Maryland and West Virginia quickly come to mind—who are in danger of falling out if things don’t go well in the coming days.
Also not making the cut for this field is Connecticut, which plays Georgia Tech at the Georgia Dome Sunday afternoon in a non-conference game critical to the NCAA aspirations of both teams. It was three years ago that they met in the national championship game. Now both are struggling to make their case for inclusion.
Fresh off his stint earlier this week as part of a mock sportswriters selection team, Tony ranks the teams as the real committee does — from 1 to 65:
1: Florida (SEC champ)
2: North Carolina (ACC champ)
3: Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
4: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
5: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
6: Ohio State (at-large)
7: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
8: Kansas (at-large)
9: Kentucky (at-large)
10: Washington State (at-large)
11: Memphis (C-USA champ)
12: Marquette (at-large)
13: Oregon (at-large)
14: Butler (Horizon champ)
15: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
16: Southern Cal (at-large)
17: Duke (at-large)
18: Indiana (at-large)
19: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
20: Stanford (at-large)
21: Virginia (at-large)
22: Villanova (at-large)
23: Florida State (at-large)
24: Oklahoma State (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Gonzaga (West Coast champ)
27: BYU (at-large)
28: Boston College (at-large)
29: Virginia Tech (at-large)
30: Arizona (at-large)
31: Vanderbilt (at-large)
32: Tennessee (at-large)
33: Creighton (at-large)
34: Texas (at-large)
35: UNLV (at-large)
36: Notre Dame (at-large)
37: Missouri State (at-large)
38: Michigan State (at-large)
39: Georgetown (at-large)
40: Kansas State (at-large)
41: Clemson (at-large)
42: Alabama (at-large)
43: Arkansas (at-large)
44: Maryland (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Illinois (at-large)
47: UMass (A-10 champ)
48: West Virginia (at-large)
49: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
50: Davidson (Southern champ)
51: Winthrop (Big South champ)
52: TAMU-CC (Soutland champ)
53: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
54: Akron (MAC champ)
55: Vermont (America East champ)
56: Oral Roberts ((Mid-Contient champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champs)
58: Marist (Metro Atlantic champs)
59: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champs)
60: Delaware State (MEAC champs)
61: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champ)
62: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
63: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
64: Yale (Ivy champ)
65: Central Conn. State (Northeast champ)
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
ACC: 8
Big East: 6
Big Ten: 5
Big 12: 5
Missouri Valley: 3
Mountain West: 3
Pac-10: 6
SEC: 6
23 Conferences with one bid only
What do you think of today’s field? Any teams you’d kick out of your bracket? Any teams you think Tony missed that should be in there?
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Mocking up the NCAA bracket
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A group of national sportswriters has simulated the NCAA’s final process for selecting the college basketball tournament field.
This is the bracket they filled out.
What do you think of the job the writers did? Which teams in this bracket would you have left out? Or added that aren’t there? How do you like where your favorite team was seeded?
The AJC’s Tony Barnhart, who was invited to participate in the mock proceedings, says it’s not as easy as fans think it looks on Selection Sunday.
Did Tony’s explanation of the process help you better understand what the committee goes through? What things would you change about how the bracket is put together?
Tony Barnhart looks at the conferences
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today we break down all 31 conferences and how many bids they are projected to receive. We also look at the hot races as we head down the home stretch of the regular season.
Then post your own opinion in our daily blog.
ACC (8 teams):
• Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina (projected champion), Virginia, Virginia Tech.
• Weekend watch: Maryland (17-7, RPI 40) is in for now but the Terps, who are 1-4 in ACC road games, need to beat somebody away from home. Duke comes to College Park on Saturday.
AMERICAN EAST (1)
• Vermont (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Vermont (18-6, RPI 97) leads Albany (18-7, RPI 90) by one game in the standings. The two teams meet in Albany on Sunday.
ATLANTIC 10 (1)
• UMass (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: UMass (17-6, RPI 60) leads Xavier (17-7) and Rhode Island (12-10) by a half game. Xavier plays at fourth place George Washington (15-6) on Saturday.
ATLANTIC SUN (1)
• East Tennessee State (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: ETSU 16-8, RPI 134) should win its final four games against North Florida (twice), Stetson, and Mercer. The Buccaneers will still have to win the A-Sun tournament.
BIG EAST (6)
• Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh (projected champion), Villanova, West Virginia.
• Weekend watch: West Virginia (17-5, RPI 45) is creeping close to the bubble with UCLA (20-2, RPI 1) coming to Morgantown on Saturday followed by a trip to Georgetown. Ditto for Notre Dame (18-6, RPI 53) which is 1-5 in Big East road games after losing at DePaul Thursday night.
BIG SKY (1)
• Weber State (Projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Weber State (14-10, RPI 154) is 10-4 in the league and only has two regular season games left with Montana (11-11) on Feb. 14 and Sacramento State (6-17). Wildcats will have to win conference tournament.
BIG SOUTH (1)
• Winthrop (Projected champion)
• Weekend watch: The Eagles (16-4, RPI 75) are in command in the regular-season conference race but will still have to win their tournament to get in.
BIG TEN (5)
• Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin (projected champion).
• Weekend watch: Purdue (16-8, RPI 38) has a chance to get in with a big game at Ohio State on Saturday followed by a home game with Indiana.
BIG 12 (5)
• Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M (projected champion).
• Weekend watch: Texas Tech (15-9, RPI 42) has fallen out and may be permanently out after road games at Oklahoma State and Texas A&M in the next five days.
BIG WEST (1)
• Long Beach State (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Long Beach State (15-6, RPI 93) has a slight lead over UC Santa Barbara (14-6) and Cal State Fullerton (15-5) in the conference standings. The 49ers play both teams in the next five days.
COLONIAL (1)
• VCU (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: VCU (21-4, RPI 46) has a two game lead over Hofstra and Old Dominion (17-7) with five games left to play. The Rams travel to Old Dominion on Saturday.
CONFERENCE USA (1)
• Memphis (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Nobody is going to touch Memphis (20-3 RPI 8) in the league. But the Tigers do play Gonzaga in a Bracket Busters game on Feb. 17.
HORIZON (1)
• Butler (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Butler (22-2, RPI 30) has a half game lead over Wright State (18-8, RPI 101) for the regular season championship. The two teams meet Saturday at Wright State.
IVY (1)
• Yale (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Yale is 8-10 but right now the Elis lead Penn (11-8) by a full game in the standings. The two meet again March 2 at Penn. There is no conference tournament so the regular season winner gets the automatic bid.
METRO ATLANTIC (1)
• Marist (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Marist (18-7, RPI 17) has already split games with Loyola of Maryland, which is tied for second place in the league. A big game with Manhattan, also tied for second place, looms next week.
MAC (1)
• Akron (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Akron (17-4, RPI 96) currently has the best conference record (9-1) in the MAC, but the Zips have a big game Saturday at Toledo (8-2).
MEAC (1)
• Delaware State (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Delaware State (11-11, RPI 132) holds a slight edge in the standings over Norfolk State (8-13) and Morgan State (9-12), who beat the Hornets by 14 on Monday. This conference tournament looks wide open.
MID-CONTINENT (1)
• Oral Roberts (projected champion).
• Weekend watch: Oral Roberts (16-8, RPI 99) has climbed back on top of the conference standings ahead of Oakland (14-11). They meet again on Feb. 24 and probably once more for the tournament title and automatic bid.
MISSOURI VALLEY (3)
• Southern Illinois (projected champion), Creighton, Missouri State
• Weekend watch: Southern Illinois (19-5, RPI 11) and Creighton (17-7, RPI 25) share the lead atop the Valley. They meet in a huge game Saturday at Southern Illinois.
MOUNTAIN WEST (3)
• Air Force, BYU (projected champion), UNLV
• Weekend watch: All three schools are locks to get in the field, but BYU is playing the best right now with five straight wins heading into the weekend.
NORTHEAST (1)
• Central Connecticut State (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Central Connecticut (14-10, RPI 205) has a three-game lead in the conference standings but will still have to win its tournament to get in.
OHIO VALLEY (1)
• Austin Peay (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Austin Peay (14-7, RPI 125) has a two-game lead over Samford (13-10) in the conference standings. The two teams meet Saturday in Birmingham.
PAC-10 (6)
• Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA (projected champion), Washington State.
• Weekend watch: Oregon (20-4, RPI 20), which has seen its seeding slip with losses to UCLA and Southern Cal, could use a win at home against Arizona (16-7 RPI 7) on Saturday.
PATRIOT (1)
• Holy Cross (projected champion).
• Weekend watch: Holy Cross (19-6, RPI 67) holds a half game lead over Bucknell (15-8, RPI 105) going into Friday night’s meeting at Bucknell.
SEC (6)
• Alabama, Arkansas, Florida (projected champion), Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt.
• Weekend watch: While Florida at Kentucky is the huge national game on Saturday night, the big game for NCAA Tournament purposes is Vanderbilt (15-7, RPI 49) at Tennessee (16-8, RPI 16).
SOUTHERN (1)
• Davidson (projected champion).
• Weekend watch: Davidson (19-4, RPI 71) has won five straight and has a big game Monday with Bobby Cremins and the College of Charleston (16-8, RPI 118).
SOUTHLAND (1)
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: TAMU-CC (17-5, RPI 92) has the most wins in the league but may be challenged in the conference tournament by Sam Houston (16-7), which beat the Islanders on their home floor on Feb. 3.
SUN BELT (1)
• South Alabama (projected champion).
• Weekend watch: After posting a big win over Western Kentucky (17-9) last Thursday, South Alabama (16-7, RPI) looks like the best team in this league. The Jaguars will still have to win the conference tournament.
SWAC (1)
• Jackson State (projected champion).
• Weekend watch: This race is going to be tight as Mississippi Valley (11-12) is tied atop the standings with Jackson State and Grambling and Alcorn State are only a game behind. The big game Saturday is Alcorn State (7-14) at Mississippi Valley.
WAC (1)
• Nevada (projected champion).
• Weekend watch: Nevada (21-2, RPI 24) will get in the field even if it doesn’t win the conference tournament. But the Wolf Pack is playing down the stretch to improve their seed.
WEST COAST (1)
• Gonzaga (projected champion)
• Weekend watch: Gonzaga (17-8, RPI 54) is tied for the lead in the WAC with Santa Clara (16-7, RPI 87). The two teams meet on Monday at Gonzaga.
• OK, there it is. Now let’s hear your thoughts.
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Duke’s on a swoon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Three consecutive ACC losses. Five total in conference play. Tied with Clemson and Florida State.
This is Duke after fading in the second half Wednesday in a 79-73 loss to North Carolina. As the losses mount, so do some worries that the Blue Devils may in danger of missing an NCAA berth.
While the schedule does them no favors, the prospect of sitting home in March seems far-fetched. But Duke probably has blown any chance of earning a top 16 seed. If the Coach K’s crew loses again, it will be assured of its worst ACC finish in a decade.
Some of this was to be expected following the losses of Shelden William and J.J. Redick to the NBA. Josh McRoberts is an amazing talent, but Duke doesn’t have the overall talent or depth to hang with the likes of the Tar Heels.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: ACC Watch
‘Cats not clawing on defense
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kentucky’s offensive output in recent games has been crowd-pleasing, but quite a few Wildcats fans are a bit concerned about what they saw in Wednesday’s 95-89 thriller over South Carolina:
A 61-point second half for the Gamecocks, and a career-high 36 points for USC guard Tre Kelly. Tubby Smith’s decision to bench former Atlanta prep star Randolph Morris for defensive lapses got through, but it didn’t spread throughout the team.
So imagine Smith’s thinking heading into Saturday’s showdown with the top-ranked Gators and their twin post demons Al Horford and Joakim Noah. That’s all you can do, imagine, since the coach isn’t elaborating about why he did what he did with Morris. Morris will have his hands full, and probably won’t be able to count on Lukasz Obrzut for any backup.
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Gator-hating, hoops-style
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now that reeling Duke doesn’t seem to be much fun to kick around anymore, is the next best target the Florida Gators?
Who has the better ‘do?
Take our poll: Noah or Arkansas’s Hill?The national champions left Athens with a tough 10-point victory Wednesday, just ahead of Saturday night’s showdown with Kentucky. As far as floppy ponytailed Joakim Noah’s concerned, he’ll gladly take the heat. He’s got the UK hate mail to prove it.
” ‘Just look at him,’ teammate Corey Brewer said. ‘Who would you target?’ “
Imagine if he had gone to Duke.
With an intro like this to the official UF athletics side, enmity isn’t hard to conjure up. Enough, already.
Following Wednesday’s recruiting hysteria, some are cracking that Florida just earned its second mythical national championship in two months. Don’t think they care one whit in Gainesville.
Here’s a claim that the Gators still don’t have the national cachet as the Dookies.
Which is perhaps why this disclaimer was fairly recent.
The No. 1 Gators are 22-2 and 9-0 in the SEC; Kentucky’s 18-5 and 7-2. ESPN Gameday will be there. Digger and Dookie V. at the same site. Heaven help us all.
The Wildcats are putting up some impressive offensive numbers, but can they defend after giving up a 60-point half to South Carolina? There’s a video of a truly awesome dunk there, too.
Some Big Blue boosters are saying bring on the Gators. To which the Florida flock responds: If you insist.
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Tony Barnhart’s daily picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s projected NCAA field, the AJC’s Tony Barnhart first offers his conference-by-conference breakdown, then his 65 daily picks.
Following both of Tony’s forecasts, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
BY CONFERENCE
NOTE: At this moment there are 23 conferences that will receive only one bid each to the NCAA tournament. We project the remaining 42 spots in the field will be distributed as follows:
ACC (7 teams):
• In: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech.
• Bubble: Georgia Tech, Maryland.
• Comment: Duke (18-6) has lost three straight and is danger of being a No. 4 or No. 5 seed.
BIG EAST (6):
• In: Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Villanova, West Virginia.
• Bubble: Louisville, Providence, Syracuse.
• Comment: West Virginia’s 60-47 loss at home to Pittsburgh puts the Mountaineers (18-5) dangerously close to the bubble.
BIG TEN (5):
• In: Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin.
• Bubble: Purdue.
• Comment: Purdue (16-8) gave itself a chance to get off the bubble by destroying Michigan State (17-8) 62-38 Wednesday night.
BIG 12 (5):
• In: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M.
• Bubble: Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Tech.
• Comment: Oklahoma (14-8) gave the selection committee something to think about after beating Oklahoma State (18-5) Wednesday night. Kansas State (17-7) should still get in but getting smacked by Kansas (97-70) won’t help its seed.
MISSOURI VALLEY (3)
• In: Creighton, Missouri State, Southern Illinois.
• Bubble: Wichita State, Bradley, Northern Iowa.
• Comment: Southern Illinois (20-5) beat Bradley 60-50 and is making a strong case for a No. 4 or even a No. 3 seed.
MOUNTAIN WEST (3)
• In: Air Force, BYU, UNLV.
• Bubble: None.
• Comment: UNLV (20-5) beat TCU 82-67 and has won six of its last seven.
PAC-10 (6)
• In: Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington State.
• Bubble: California.
• Comment: UCLA (21-2), which beat Southern Cal 70-65 Wednesday night, hasa chance to become the No. 1 overall seed of the tournament.
SEC (7)
• In: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt.
• Bubble: LSU, Auburn.
• Comment: Georgia (13-9) has one foot on the bubble after Wednesday’s 71-61 loss to Florida.
TONY RANKS THE NCAA FIELD
If he made his bracket today, AJC’s Tony Barnhart would pick these teams to make it to the Big Dance:
1: Florida (SEC champ)
2: North Carolina (ACC champ)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
5: Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
6: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
7: Ohio State (at-large)
8: Kansas (at-large)
9: Kentucky (at-large)
10: Butler (Horizon champ)
11: Memphis (C-USA champ)
12: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
13: Oregon (at-large)
14: Marquette (at-large)
15: Nevada: (WAC champ)
16: Duke (at-large)
17: Indiana (at-large)
18: Arizona (at-large)
19: Notre Dame (at large)
20: Air Force (at-large)
21: Stanford (at-large)
22: Washington State (at-large)
23: Oklahoma State (at-large)
24: Virginia Tech (at-large)
25: Southern Cal (at-large)
26: Boston College (at-large)
27: Villanova (at-large)
28: Vanderbilt (at-large)
29: Virginia (at-large)
30: Kansas State (at-large)
31: BYU (at-large)
32: Alabama (at-large)
33: Texas (at-large)
34: Georgetown (at-large)
35: Tennessee (at-large
36: Michigan State (at-large)
37: Arkansas (at-large)
38: Clemson (at-large)
39: Gonzaga (at-large)
40: UNLV (at-large)
41: Creighton (at-large)
42: Georgia (at-large)
43: Florida State (at-large)
44: West Virginia (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Davidson (Southern champ)
47: Illinois (at-large)
48: Missouri State (at-large)
49: UMass (Atlantic 10 champ)
50: Texas A&M-CC (Southland champ)
51: Vermont (America East champ)
52: Yale (Ivy champ)
53: Winthrop (Big South champ)
54: East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun champ)
55: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
56: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
57: Toledo (MAC champ)
58: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
59: Oakland (Mid-Continent champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
62: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Loyola of Maryland (MAAC champ)
65: Central Connecticut State (Northeast champ)
• What do you think of Tony’s conference choices, along with his comments?
• And how does his overall 65 picks differ from yours?
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Tony Barnhart's daily picks
Duke-Carolina, Inc.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We interrupt the breathless tracking of 17-year-old football players revealing to the world which vestiges of vine-covered academia will benefit from their matriculations next fall to offer up two simple words as an incredibly timely antidote:
Duke.
Carolina.
Another memorable clash, this time at Cameron Indoor. Final: UNC, 79-73. The Heels got themselves in a big hole early, but caught fire in the second half. Three straight ACC losses for the Dookie Vees.
HH is fully aware of the reeking, cloying sentimentality that comes with Duke-Carolina. Not just Dookie V. is overbearing on the subject. That’s why this piece on Duke-Carolina Inc. puts the reach of the rivalry in a very clear perspective. It’s more than a game, and beyond Krzyzewskiville and the 8-mile stretch of Highway 15/501 that separates the two schools. It’s a merchandised licensing bonanza, for starters, and the respective coaches have cashed in handsomely.
Coach K pulls down $40K — minimum — to speak. About what it costs to attend Duke per annum if you’re not talented enough to play basketball. And Uncle Roy almost cried at the airing of a homespun commercial about his life? Gotta love it!
Then there are Cameron Crazies busy training to become the internet tycoons, investment banking sharks and democracy-promoting diplomats of the future.
On Thursday, the rivalry goes to Carmichael Auditorium when the No. 1 Duke and No. 2 UNC women tangle in a battle of the last two unbeaten teams in the nation. ESPN wanted the game played during “Rivalry Week.” An offer that couldn’t be refused, obviously.
Uncle Roy will be there. HoopHead doesn’t see him doing a Bruce Pearl, however.
Yes, in the fine state of North Carolina, news about gridiron grants-in-aid don’t quite measure up, and probably for this reason:
“… the entire region is being showcased while the rest of the country is reminded once again why the state’s best football players announce their departure about this time every year.”
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: HoopHead Daily Blog
Tony Barnhart’s daily picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s projected NCAA field, the AJC’s Tony Barnhart first offers his conference-by-conference breakdown, then his 65 daily picks.
Following both of Tony’s forecasts, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
WHO’S IN
• Tennessee (16-8, RPI 14). The Vols have a gaudy RPI because of the non-conference schedule but we’ve been waiting on Chris Lofton to get back and for the Vols to beat somebody.
• Illinois (17-8, RPI 41) It’s shaky but the Illini are in for now.
WHO’S OUT
• Texas Tech (15-9, RPI 43), which has lost four straight after a horrible loss at home to Nebraska. With road games coming up with Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, things don’t look good for coach Knight.
• New Mexico State (17-5, RPI 78) lost at Utah State Monday night and that makes the WAC a one-bid league if Nevada (20-2, RPI 28) wins the conference tournament.
BY CONFERENCE
NOTE: At this moment there are 23 conferences that will receive only one bid to the NCAA tournament. We project the remaining 42 spots in the field will be distributed as follows:
ACC (7 teams):
• In: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech.
• Bubble: Georgia Tech, Maryland.
• Comment: The ACC is the only conference with eight teams inside the RPI Top 40. Maryland (17-7, RPI 39) needs a couple of big wins down the stretch to give the ACC eight bids.
BIG EAST (6):
• In: Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Villanova, West Virginia.
• Bubble: Louisville, Providence, Syracuse.
• Comment: West Virginia (17-4, RPI 40) might be in trouble with no impressive non-conference wins and consecutive games with Pittsburgh, UCLA, and Georgetown coming up.
BIG TEN (5):
• In: Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin.
• Bubble: Purdue.
• Comment: Purdue (15-8, RPI 45) still has a chance to get in if it can get hot, starting with tonight’s game with Michigan.
BIG 12 (5):
• In: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M.
• Bubble: Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Tech.
• Comment: Kansas State (17-6, RPI 37) could move into second place in the Big 12 with a win tonight at Kansas.
MISSOURI VALLEY (3)
• In: Creighton, Missouri State, Southern Illinois.
• Bubble: Wichita State, Bradley, Northern Iowa.
• Comment: Big week for Southern Illinois (18-5, RPI 11) if it wants to stay a high seed. The Salukis play Bradley (15-9, RPI 49) tonight and Creighton (16-7, RPI 26) on Saturday.
MOUNTAIN WEST (3)
• In: Air Force, BYU, UNLV.
• Bubble: None.
• Comment: Air Force (17-4, RPI 17) fell out of first place in the MWC by losing to San Diego State (62-41) Tuesday night.
PAC-10 (6)
• In: Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington State.
• Bubble: California.
• Comment: Southern Cal (18-6, RPI 44) should be in but the Trojans have three straight road games coming up against UCLA (tonight), Arizona and Arizona State.
SEC (7)
• In: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt.
• Bubble: LSU, Auburn.
• Comment: Georgia (12-8, RPI 47) is in right now but it’s not solid. The Bulldogs have only three wins against the Top 50 in the RPI. A win at home over Florida would help.
TONY RANKS THE NCAA FIELD
If he made his bracket today, AJC’s Tony Barnhart would pick these teams to make it to the Big Dance:
1: Florida (SEC champ)
2: North Carolina (ACC champ)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
5: Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
6: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
7: Ohio State (at-large)
8: Kansas (at-large)
9: Kentucky (at-large)
10: Butler (Horizon champ)
11: Memphis (C-USA champ)
12: Duke (at-large)
13: Oregon (at-large)
14: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
15: Nevada: (WAC champ)
16: Marquette (at-large)
17: Indiana (at-large)
18: Arizona (at-large)
19: Notre Dame (at large)
20: Air Force (at-large)
21: Stanford (at-large)
22: Oklahoma State (at-large)
23: Washington State (at-large)
24: Virginia Tech (at-large)
- Southern Cal (at-large)
26: Boston College (at-large)
27: Villanova (at-large)
28: Vanderbilt (at-large)
29: Texas (at-large)
30: Kansas State (at-large)
31: BYU (at-large)
32: Michigan State (at-large)
33: Virginia (at-large)
34: Georgetown (at-large)
35: Tennessee (at-large
36: Alabama (at-large)
37: Arkansas (at-large)
38: Clemson (at-large)
39: Gonzaga (at-large)
40: UNLV (at-large)
41: Creighton (at-large)
42: Georgia (at-large)
43: Florida State (at-large)
44: West Virginia (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Davidson (Southern champ)
47: Illinois (at-large)
48: Missouri State (at-large)
49: UMass (Atlantic 10 champ)
50: Texas A&M-CC (Southland champ)
51: Vermont (America East champ)
52: Yale (Ivy champ)
53: Winthrop (Big South champ)
54: East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun champ)
55: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
56: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
57: Toledo (MAC champ)
58: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
59: Oakland (Mid-Continent champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
62: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Loyola of Maryland (MAAC champ)
65: Central Connecticut State (Northeast champ)
• What do you think of Tony’s conference choices, along with his comments?
• And how does his overall 65 picks differ from yours?
Permalink | | Categories: Tony Barnhart's daily picks
Tony Barnhart’s daily picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s projected NCAA field, the AJC’s Tony Barnhart first offers his conference-by-conference breakdown, then his 65 daily picks.
Following both of Tony’s forecasts, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
BY CONFERENCE
ACC (7 teams):
• In: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech.
• Bubble: Georgia Tech, Maryland.
• Stock up: Boston College (16-6, RPI 28) is tied for ACC lead despite the loss of center Sean Williams, who was dismissed from the team on Jan. 18.
• Stock down: Clemson, which has lost five of its last six after a 17-0 start. Tigers need a win Wednesday night against Florida State at Littlejohn.
BIG EAST (6):
• In: Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Villanova, West Virginia.
• Bubble: Louisville, Providence, Syracuse.
• Stock up: Marquette (19-4, RPI 15) has won seven straight.
• Stock down: Syracuse 16-8, RPI 50) has lost four of five and might not make the Big East Tournament.
BIG TEN (4):
• In: Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin.
• Bubble: Illinois, Michigan.
• Stock up: Ohio State (20-3, RPI 5) has won seven straight going into tonight’s game with Michigan.
• Stock down: Michigan State (17-7) is 4-5 in the Big Ten after losing three straight.
BIG 12 (6):
• In: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech.
• Bubble: Nebraska, Oklahoma.
• Stock up: Texas A&M (20-3) has solidified a No. 2 seed with back-to-back wins over Kansas and Texas.
• Stock down: Despite huge numbers by freshman Kevin Durant, Texas (16-7) has lost four of seven and seen its RPI drop to 54.
MISSOURI VALLEY (3)
• In: Creighton, Missouri State, Southern Illinois.
• Bubble: Wichita State, Bradley, Northern Iowa.
• Stock up: Southern Illinois (18-5, RPI 12) has won five straight and is pushing for a No. 4 seed.
• Stock down: Northern Iowa (15-9, RPI 62) looked like a possible at-large before losing three of its last four.
MOUNTAIN WEST (3)
• In: Air Force, BYU, UNLV.
• Bubble: None.
• Stock up: BYU (16-6, RPI 27) has won five of its last six to get into the NCAA field.
• Stock down: None.
PAC-10 (6)
• In: Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington State. Bubble: California.
• Bubble: California.
• Stock up: Washington State (19-4, RPI 31) has won four of its last five to move into second place behind UCLA.
• Stock down: Oregon (19-4, RPI 17) was a lock for a No. 2 seed before losing three of its last four.
SEC (6)
• In: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt.
• Bubble: LSU, Tennessee, Auburn.
• Stock up: Florida (21-2, RPI 13). The Gators have won 14 straight. The RPI means nothing. Right now they are the best team in the country.
• Stock down: LSU (13-9, RPI 83), a Final Four team last season, is dead last in the SEC West after losing five straight.
WAC (2)
• In: Nevada, New Mexico State.
• Bubble: None.
• Stock up: Nevada (20-2, RPI 29) should get in the field even if doesn’t win the WAC Tournament.
• Stock down: New Mexico State (17-5, RPI 78) really isn’t down but it might not make the field because of a schedule rank of 219.
TONY RANKS THE NCAA FIELD
If he made his bracket today, AJC’s Tony Barnhart would pick these teams to make it to the Big Dance:
1: Florida (SEC champ)
2: North Carolina (ACC champ)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
5: Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
6: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
7: Ohio State (at-large)
8: Kansas (at-large)
9: Kentucky (at-large)
10: Butler (Horizon champ)
11: Memphis (C-USA champ)
12: Duke (at-large)
13: Oregon (at-large)
14: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
15: Nevada: (WAC champ)
16: Marquette (at-large)
17: Indiana (at-large)
18: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
19: Arizona (at-large)
20: Notre Dame (at large)
21: Stanford (at-large)
22: Oklahoma State (at-large)
23: Washington State (at-large)
24: Virginia Tech (at-large)
25: Southern Cal (at-large)
26: Boston College (at-large)
27: Villanova (at-large)
28: Vanderbilt (at-large)
29: Texas (at-large)
30: Texas Tech (at-large)
31: BYU (at-large)
32: Michigan State (at-large)
33: Virginia (at-large)
34: Georgetown (at-large)
35: Kansas State (at-large)
36: Alabama (at-large)
37: Arkansas (at-large)
38: Clemson (at-large)
39: Gonzaga (at-large)
40: UNLV (at-large)
41: Creighton (at-large)
42: Georgia (at-large)
43: Florida State (at-large)
44: West Virginia (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Davidson (Southern champ)
47: New Mexico State (at-large)
48: Missouri State (at-large)
49: UMass (Atlantic 10 champ)
50: Texas A&M-CC (Southland champ)
51: Vermont (America East champ)
52: Penn (Ivy champ)
53: Winthrop (Big South champ)
54: East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun champ)
55: Toledo (MAC champ)
56: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
59: Oral Roberts (Mid-Continent champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
62: Jackson State (SWAC champ)…WON
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Loyola of Maryland (MAAC champ)
65: Central Connecticut State (Northeast champ)
• What do you think of Tony’s conference choices, along with those on his up and down lists?
• And how does his overall 65 picks differ from yours?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Tony Barnhart's daily picks
Rousing of the Wolfpack
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The ACC’s bottom feeders bit back over the weekend to clog up the post-season speculation — just a little.
Georgia Tech and Wake Forest practically have to win the ACC Tournament to reach the NCAAs at this point. But N.C. State’s back-to-back upsets, first of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, then its colossal shocker over North Carolina, might be the most intriguing possibility.
The Wolfpack are 13-8 and 3-5 in the ACC and a half-game ahead of Georgia Tech as both teams prepare to meet in Atlanta Tuesday. First-year coach Sidney Lowe’s team was being regarded as the worst in the ACC until just a few days ago.
The former Wolfpack great, donning a red alumni-style jacket that would have made Jimmy V proud, was denounced as a lousy hire in some corners. The return of point guard Engin Atsur from injury has steadied a young lineup that played fearlessly against the Tar Heels.
Is it too late for the Wolfpack, Yellow Jackets and Maryland Terrapins (17-6 and 3-5) to get on a hot run, then do something in the ACC tourney? At least six ACC teams appear to have done enough to earn bids. How many more can the conference get?
Permalink | | Categories: ACC Watch
Can Lofton lift Vols?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tennessee proved last week that they don’t need All-SEC hotshot Chris Lofton to beat some teams — like Georgia — but that not even he would have helped the Vols prevent their ambush at the hands of Florida.
But that 1-1 week leaves UT at 15-8 and 3-5, with SEC games running out. Lofton probably will be back for Wednesday’s must-win game against LSU.
LSU is in last place in the SEC West, while Ole Miss and Auburn are a half-game behind Alabama.
In the East, the No. 1 Gators remain unbeaten, but have a big week, visiting Georgia Wednesday before Saturday’s clash with Kentucky. Can Florida run the table? Who’ll win the West? And how many SEC teams will be smiling on Selection Sunday?
Permalink | | Categories: SEC Watch
Party Crashers: Bradley, Villanova
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was Doug Collins night at Illinois State over the weekend, but Bradley punctuated its drive for post-season consideration from the Missouri Valley Conference with a 70-61 win to spoil the ceremonies for the ex-ISU and NBA hotshot.
The unmascoted Braves moved to 16-9 and 7-6 in league play, and have an RPI in the low 40s. But with Wichita State and Northern Iowa also on the NCAA bubble, competition is heated for MVC slots that could number as few as two and as many as four. On Wednesday, they get league-leading Southern Illinois.
There’s a bigger clump of teams in bubble range in the Big East after Villanova’s ugly 57-53 verdict over Louisville. The Wildcats have an RPI of 20, but they haven’t had many good wins dotting their 14-7 record, and their 4-5 mark in is good for 8th place the Big East. Winnable games at Seton Hall and Cincinnati are on tap this week before Georgetown and Marquette loom.
Permalink | | Categories: Party Crashers
Tony Barnhart’s daily picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s projected NCAA field, the AJC’s Tony Barnhart first offers his conference-by-conference breakdown, then his 65 daily picks.
Following both of Tony’s forecasts, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
WHO’S IN
• Villanova (15-7, RPI 20), which posted a big win over Louisville (57-53) on Saturday.
• Kansas State (17-6), which posted its seventh straight win when it prevailed at Texas (73-72) on Saturday.
• BYU (16-6, RPI 29) played its way in by destroying UNLV 90-63 on Saturday.
WHO’S OUT
• Louisville’s (15-7) RPI is now down to 61 after its loss to Villanova.
• Hofstra (17-6, RPI 67) will have to win the Colonial Tournament to get in.
• Syracuse (16-7) drops out with an RPI of 58. The Orange has lost three of its last four games.
BY CONFERENCE
ACC (7 teams):
• In: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech.
• Bubble: Georgia Tech, Maryland.
• Game to watch: Duke (18-5) has lost two straight and hosts North Carolina (20-3) at home on Wednesday.
BIG EAST (6):
• In: Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Villanova, West Virginia.
• Bubble: Louisville, Providence, Syracuse.
• Game to watch: Pittsburgh (20-3, RPI 3) may have a tough time Wednesday night at West Virginia (17-4).
BIG TEN (4):
• In: Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin.
• Bubble: Illinois, Michigan.
• Game to watch: Michigan State (17-7), which has lost three straight and seen its RPI drop to 39, needs to win Wednesday night at Purdue (15-8).
BIG 12 (6):
• In: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech.
• Bubble: Nebraska, Oklahoma.
• Game to watch: Texas A&M, fresh off a huge 69-66 at Kansas on Saturday, hosts Texas tonight. Kansas State, the hottest team in the league, goes to Kansas Wednesday night.
MISSOURI VALLEY (3)
• In: Creighton, Missouri State, Southern Illinois.
• Bubble: Wichita State, Bradley, Northern Iowa.
• Game to watch: Southern Illinois (18-5), a tournament lock with an RPI of 9, has won five straight. But on Wednesday the Salukis host Bradley (15-9) which beat them on Jan. 10 (48-46).
MOUNTAIN WEST (3)
• In: Air Force, BYU, UNLV.
• Bubble: None.
• Game to watch: Air Force (19-3, RPI 14) is now tied with BYU (16-6, RPI 29) for first place in the league. The Falcons face a tough test Tuesday night at San Diego State (13-7). Air Force beat the San Diego State by only five points (56-51) at home on Jan. 20.
PAC-10 (6)
• In: Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington State. Bubble: California.
• Bubble: California.
• Game to watch: Southern Cal (18-6, RPI 45)) has won three straight including an upset over Oregon (71-68) Saturday night. The Trojans play at UCLA (19-2, RPI 1) on Wednesday.
SEC (6)
• In: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt.
• Bubble: LSU, Tennessee, Auburn.
• Game to watch: Tennessee (15-8) has an RPI of 16 but has lost six of its last eight games. The Vols’ next three games are at home beginning Tuesday night with LSU (13-9). Guard Chris Lofton is expected to return from an injury.
WAC (2)
• In: Nevada, New Mexico State.
• Bubble: None.
• Game to watch: Nevada (20-2, 8-1 WAC, RPI 28) plays at Fresno State (16-7) Thursday night).
TONY RANKS THE NCAA FIELD
If he made his bracket today, AJC’s Tony Barnhart would pick these teams to make it to the Big Dance:
1: Florida (SEC champ)
2: North Carolina (ACC champ)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
5: Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
6: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
7: Ohio State (at-large)
8: Kansas (at-large)
9: Kentucky (at-large)
10: Butler (Horizon champ)
11: Memphis (C-USA champ)
12: Duke (at-large)
13: Oregon (at-large)
14: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
15: Nevada: (WAC champ)
16: Marquette (at-large)
17: Indiana (at-large)
18: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
19: Texas (at-large)
20: Arizona (at-large)
21: Notre Dame (at large)
22: Stanford (at-large)
23: Oklahoma State (at-large)
24: Washington State (at-large)
25: Virginia Tech (at-large)
26: Southern Cal (at-large)
27: Boston College (at-large)
28: Villanova (at-large)
29: Vanderbilt (at-large)
30: Texas Tech (at-large)
31: BYU (at-large)
32: Michigan State (at-large)
33: Virginia (at-large)
34: Gonzaga (West Coast champ)
35: Kansas State (at-large)
36: Alabama (at-large)
37: Arkansas (at-large)
38: Clemson (at-large)
39: Georgetown (at-large)
40: UNLV (at-large)
41: Creighton (at-large)
42: Georgia (at-large)
43: Florida State (at-large)
44: West Virginia (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Davidson (Southern champ)
47: New Mexico State (at-large)
48: Missouri State (at-large)
49: UMass (Atlantic 10 champ)
50: Texas A&M-CC (Southland champ)
51: Vermont (America East champ)
52: Penn (Ivy champ)
53: Winthrop (Big South champ)
54: East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun champ)
55: Toledo (MAC champ)
56: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
59: Oral Roberts (Mid-Continent champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
62: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Loyola of Maryland (MAAC champ)
65: Central Connecticut State (Northeast champ)
• What do you think of Tony’s conference choices, along with those on his watch lists?
• And how does his overall 65 picks differ from yours?
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Tony Barnhart's daily picks
Is this real hoops? Or just fantasy?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Texas freshman Kevin Durant’s eye-popping skills, and the 37-point, 23-point hurting he put on Texas Tech Wednesday offered a painful reminder of the dismal collection of players on HoopHead’s fantasy, er nightmare, team.
Anybody who tangles with the Longhorns must feel as though they’re witnessing a nightmare, too. But they may not have much longer to endure his terrifying run through the college, and especially Big 12, landscape.
While there are growing arguments that he could be the national player of the year as a freshman, another kind of speculation is starting to crop up: Could he be the first pick in the NBA draft?
And if so, what purpose does the NBA’s age restriction serve? Another target for lawyers looking to get it overturned, that’s what.
If you were choosing a fantasy team based on what you’ve seen thus far, who would be your Fantasy Starting Five? Try to pick a realistic lineup (not five post players, or four guards).
And who’s your player, coach and freshman of the year?
The Big 12’s pretty loaded at the top, and on Saturday the headliner will be Kansas and Texas A & M in a battle between the two teams at the top of the standings.
Permalink | | Categories: HoopHead Daily Blog
Tony Barnhart’s daily picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tony Barnhart updates his projected NCAA field. Tony’s conference-by-conference breakdown, including who to watch, is followed by his 65 daily picks.
After both of Tony’s forecasts, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
• Who’s in: Virginia earned the seventh spot in the ACC by beating Duke in overtime Thursday night.
• Who’s out: Wichita State. With an RPI of 50, the Shockers have to give way to Virginia, which has won five in a row.
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
ACC (7 teams):
• In: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech.
• Bubble: Georgia Tech, Maryland.
• Weekend watch: Clemson (18-4, 4-4 ACC, RPI 23) has lost four of its last five games going into Saturday’s trip to Georgia Tech.
BIG EAST (7):
• In: Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia.
• Bubble: Providence, Villanova.
• Weekend watch: Louisville (15-6, RPI 59) has won four straight but has a tough test at Villanova (13-7, RPI 22) on Saturday. Villanova could get in with a win.
BIG TEN (4):
• In: Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin.
• Bubble: Illinois, Michigan.
• Weekend watch: Michigan State (17-6, RPI 33) has lost two straight. Ohio State comes to East Lansing on Saturday and the Spartans need to stop the slide.
BIG 12 (5):
• In: Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech.
• Bubble: Nebraska, Kansas State, Oklahoma.
• Weekend watch: Texas A&M (18-3, RPI 20) goes to Kansas (19-3, RPI 15) for their only meeting of the season on Saturday night. Winner could have the inside track to a No. 2 seed.
COLONIAL (2)
• In: VCU, Hofstra.
• Bubble: Drexel.
• Weekend watch: After VCU’s loss to Hofstra (79-68) and Drexel’s loss to Old Dominion (62-52) the Colonial is starting to look like a one-bid league.
MISSOURI VALLEY (3)
• In: Creighton, Missouri State, Southern Illinois.
• Bubble: Wichita State, Bradley, Northern Iowa.
• Weekend watch: Wichita State (14-8, 53 RPI) is out but has a chance to get back in with a win on Saturday against Southern Illinois (17-4, RPI 11).
MOUNTAIN WEST (2)
• In: Air Force, UNLV.
• Bubble: BYU.
• Weekend watch: BYU (15-6, 35 RPI) has a chance to get in the field on Saturday if it can beat UNLV (18-4, RPI 9) at home.
PAC-10 (6)
• In: Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington State.
• Bubble: California.
• Weekend watch: UCLA avenged its loss to Oregon on Thursday night. Oregon (19-3, RPI 16) needs to win at Southern Cal (17-6, RPI 55) on Saturday to avoid third loss in four games.
SEC (6)
• In: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt.
• Bubble: LSU, Tennessee, Auburn.
• Weekend watch: Tennessee (15-7) has an RPI of 14 but has lost five of its last seven. The Vols could use an upset win Saturday at No. 1 Florida (20-2).
WAC (2)
• In: Nevada, New Mexico State.
• Bubble: None.
• Weekend watch: Nevada (19-2, 8-1) and New Mexico State (17-4, 8-1) should both roll through the WAC until they meet on March 3 at Nevada.
TONY RANKS THE NCAA FIELD
If he made his bracket today, AJC’s Tony Barnhart would pick these teams to make it to the Big Dance:
1: North Carolina (ACC champ)
2: Florida (SEC champ)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
5: Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
6: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
7: Ohio State (at-large)
8: Oregon (at-large)
9: Kansas (at-large)
10: Duke (at-large)
11: Oklahoma State (at-large)
12: Butler (Horizon champ)
13: Texas (at-large)
14: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
15: Nevada (WAC champ)
16: Marquette (at-large)
17: Indiana (at-large)
18: Kentucky (at-large)
19: Memphis (C-USA champ)
20: Arizona (at-large)
21: UNLV (at-large)
22: Alabama (at-large)
23: Southern Illinois (MVC champ)
24: Washington State (at-large)
25: Virginia Tech (at-large)
26: Michigan State (at-large)
27: Boston College (at-large)
28: Texas Tech (at-large)
29: Vanderbilt (at-large
30: Notre Dame (at-large)
31: Florida State (at-large)
32: Southern Cal (at-large)
33: Arkansas (at-large)
34: Gonzaga (West Coast Champs)
35: Missouri State (at-large)
36: Stanford (at-large)
37: Georgia (at-large)
38: Clemson (at-large)
39: Georgetown (at-large)
40: Syracuse (at-large)
41: Creighton (at-large)
42: Virginia (at-large)
43: Louisville (at-large)
44: West Virginia (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Davidson (Southern champ)
47: New Mexico State (at-large)
48: Hofstra (at-large)
49: George Washington (A-10 champ)
50: Texas A&M-CC (Southland champ)
51: Vermont (America East champ)
52: Penn (Ivy champ)
53: Winthrop (Big South Champ)
54: East Tennessee (Atlantic Sun champ)
55: Toledo (MAC champ)
56: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
59: Oral Roberts (Mid-Continent champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Cal State Fullerton (Big West champ)
62: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Loyola, Md. (MAAC champ)
65: Central Conn. State (Northeast champ)
• What do you think of Tony’s conference choices, along with those on his watch lists? And how does his overall 65 picks differ from yours?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Tony Barnhart's daily picks
No middlin’ around
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You’ve got to go to downtown flyover country to find the best argument for the rising profile of mid-major programs. The absolute middle of Middle America, in fact.
The Missouri Valley Conference is making another run for multiple bids, sporting the fifth-best conference RPI. Southern Illinois and Creighton share the top spot with 9-3 in league play, and the AJC’s Tony Barnhart likes those two for the field of 65, along with Missouri State and Wichita State, an Elite 8 team a year ago. And Northern Iowa and Bradley on the bubble.
March Madness in Atlanta:
Check out the AJC’s Final Four pageRecall last year when the MVC got four teams, the same as the Pac-10, which sent Billy Packer into a nationally-televised conniption fit with NCAA selection committee chair Craig Littlepage, heatedly denouncing the mid-majors. To his credit, Littlepage, the AD at UVa, chastised right back. George Mason then romped to the Final Four, taking out North Carolina and UConn, and the cat somehow got Billy’s tongue.
There shouldn’t be a similarly heated denunciation if the MVC equals last year’s bids. For the moment, MVC teams are 15-12 against the “Big Six,” the BCS conferences, and all 10 teams will be involved in BracketBuster games later this month.
It may be that the MVC is to college basketball what Boise State was to the previously impenetrable BCS: taking the “mid” out of the mid-majors.
Permalink | | Categories: HoopHead Daily Blog
ACC Watch: Clemson plays it cool
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two consecutive heartbreaking losses haven’t sent Clemson into hysterics, either the familiar Duke-related conspiracy theory variety that crops up at least once in the heat of ACC action or after the Tigers’ meltdown Sunday against Virginia.
Instead, coach Oliver Purnell is impressing with his low-key demeanor in the aftermath of a disastrous week.
March Madness in Atlanta:
Check out the AJC’s Final Four pageThe Tigers, who come into Alexander Memorial Coliseum Saturday looking to thrust a knife into Georgia Tech’s fading NCAA hopes, have too much to play for. They’re 18-4 and tied for fourth at 4-4 in the ACC.
Steady play has marked Clemson’s play all season. Former Cairo H.S. star Cliff Hammonds has had more turnovers than assists in only one game all season. The team’s weakness as of late has been on the boards.
How do you think Clemson will fare the rest of the way? Is this team headed for the NCAA Tournament?
Permalink | | Categories: ACC Watch
SEC Watch: Rating the bigs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Wheeler star Jermareo Davidson was considered one of the top post players in the SEC long before last night’s game at LSU, but his career-high 31-point performance in Baton Rouge ought to do wonders for his NBA stock.
March Madness in Atlanta:
Check out the AJC’s Final Four pageMore importantly, the 73-70 comeback win for the Crimson Tide gave Mark Gottfried’s slumping team a badly needed boost. ‘Bama’s now 16-5 and 3-4 in the SEC West, where nobody’s above .500 in conference games. And he rang up big offensive numbers against LSU’s ‘Big Baby’ Davis, who looks absolutely bamboozled on the court, as do the rest of the Tigers.
In what has become a seemingly unbearable ordeal for Davidson, he’s grieving from the death of his girlfriend in an auto accident and the shooting death of his brother in the fall.
Davidson briefly considered the NBA draft after last season, then returned to Tuscaloosa for his senior campaign. Where do you rate him among SEC big men? The league is loaded with Davis, Florida’s Joakim Noah, Randolph Morris of Kentucky, et al.
Which of these players will be taken first, presuming they all turn pro after this season? Which one do you think will have the best NBA career?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: SEC Watch
Tony Barnhart’s 65 daily picks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s projected NCAA field, the AJC’s Tony Barnhart first offers his conference-by-conference breakdown, then his 65 daily picks.
Following both of Tony’s forecasts, log your own opinion in our daily blog.
BY CONFERENCE
ACC (6 teams):
• In: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech.
• Bubble: Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia
BIG EAST (7):
• In: Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Notre Dame, West Virginia.
• Bubble: Providence, Villanova
BIG TEN (4):
• In: Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin
• Bubble: Illinois, Michigan
BIG 12 (5):
• In: Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech.
• Bubble: Nebraska, Kansas State, Oklahoma
COLONIAL (2):
• In: VCU, Hofstra
• Bubble: Drexel
MISSOURI VALLEY (4):
• In: Creighton, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Wichita State
• Bubble: Bradley, Northern Iowa
MOUNTAIN WEST (2):
• In: Air Force, UNLV
• Bubble: BYU
PAC-10 (6):
• In: Arizona, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington State.
• Bubble: California
SEC (6):
• In:Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky Vanderbilt
• Bubble: LSU, Tennessee.
WAC (2):
• In: Nevada, New Mexico State
• Bubble: None.
TONY’S 65 DAILY PICKS
If he made his bracket today, AJC’s Tony Barnhart would pick these teams to make it to the Big Dance:
1: North Carolina (ACC champ)
2: Florida (SEC champ)
3: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
4: Pittsburgh (Big East champ)
5: Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
6: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
7: Ohio State (at-large(
8: Oregon (at-large)
9: Kansas (at-large)
10: Duke (at-large)
11: Oklahoma State (at-large)
12: Butler (Horizon champ)
13: Texas (at-large)
14: Air Force (Mountain West champ)
15: Nevada (WAC champ)
16: Marquette (at-large)
17: Indiana (at-large)
18: Kentucky (at-large)
19: Memphis (C-USA champ)
20: Arizona (at-large)
21: UNLV (at-large)
22: Alabama (at-large)
23: Southern Illinois (MVC champ)
24: Washington State (at-large)
25: Virginia Tech (at-large)
26: Michigan State (at-large)
27: Boston College (at-large)
28: Texas Tech (at-large)
29: Vanderbilt (at-large
30: Notre Dame (at-large)
31: Florida State (at-large)
32: Southern Cal (at-large)
33: Arkansas (at-large)
34: Gonzaga (West Coast Champs)
35: Missouri State (at-large)
36: Stanford (at-large)
37: Georgia (at-large)
38: Clemson (at-large)
39: Georgetown (at-large)
40: Syracuse (at-large)
41: Creighton (at-large)
42: Wichita State (at-large)
43: Louisville (at-large)
44: West Virginia (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Davidson (Southern champ)
47: New Mexico State (at-large)
48: Hofstra (at-large)
49: George Washington (A-10 champ)
50: Texas A&M-CC (Southland champ)
51: Vermont (America East champ)
52: Penn (Ivy champ)
53: Winthrop (Big South Champ)
54: East Tennessee (Atlantic Sun champ)
55: Toledo (MAC champ)
56: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
59: Oral Roberts (Mid-Continent champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Cal State Fullerton (Big West champ)
62: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Loyola, Md. (MAAC champ)
65: Central Conn. State (Northeast champ)
So today you you’ve got two issues to blog about:
What do you think of Tony’s conference choices? And how does his overall 65 picks differ from yours?
Permalink | Comments (22) | Categories: Tony Barnhart's daily picks
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