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Inside the Bracket: Will we have a bid thief?
It’s the Saturday before Selection Sunday and teams hovering at the cutline will be watching to see what happens in the Atlantic 10, Atlantic Coast (ACC), and Southeastern (SEC) conference tournaments. The reasons: St. Bonaventure, North Carolina State, and Georgia. Should any of the three win two more games, a potential at-large berth disappears.
In other words, a team currently headed to Dayton for the First Four, could be headed to the NIT, instead.
As additional resumes complete, the Selection Committee in Indianapolis will also be dissecting and comparing resumes from teams such as Green Bay, Southern Mississippi, and perhaps Toledo or Louisiana Tech – if either of those loses in their conference tournament final. We have one day to go, but all is not settled. Read more…
Inside the Bracket: Moving Day – Part II
After a somewhat crazy Thursday, the bubble continues to shift in multiple directions. And with Villanova’s stunning loss to Seton Hall, the final No. 1 seed slot is wide open as action resumes throughout the college hoops landscape. Kansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Virginia all take to the hardwood with their eyes on the top of the East Region. We also can’t completely eliminate teams like Syracuse.
Quick notes about today’s (March 14) bracket update …
Florida State slides into the final at-large spot. One could go any number of directions among the bubble contenders, but the Seminoles have a couple of small advantages: non-conference wins over two tournament teams (VCU, Massachusetts) and a road win at Pittsburgh. As a side note, FSU lost to Michigan by two and Florida by one in its pre-conference slate. By comparison, Providence and Minnesota have done their best work at home and neither has two NCAA-level non-league wins. We’ll see how the Seminoles fare moving forward. Next up: Virginia. It’s Moving Day – Part II on the bubble. Read more…
Inside the Bracket: It’s Moving Day
If you’ve ever watched The Masters golf tournament in early April, they refer to Saturday as Moving Day. It’s the day when golfers position themselves for a run at the Green Jacket.
In the world of college hoops, today and tomorrow are like Moving Day at selection headquarters. Teams on the proverbial NCAA tournament bubble will be trying to position themselves for a spot in the Field of 68. With as many as 13 spots still in question – to varying degrees – much could be decided between now and Saturday morning. It’s why hoop-heads love Championship Week almost as much as the tournament itself.
Quick notes about today’s (March 13) bracket update:
American joins the Field as the automatic qualifier from the Patriot League. Meanwhile, the Georgetown Hoyas’ hopes of an at-large berth received a serious jolt after an opening round loss to DePaul Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden. The Hoyas were among the First Five OUT yesterday and are further down the seed list today.
Inside the bracket, there were no other changes. Stanford survived against Washington State. Oregon, Baylor, and Oklahoma State all won opening round games in their league tournaments.
If you’re ready for Moving Day, the wait is over.
Inside the Bracket: Gonzaga grabs WCC bid, BYU waits
A couple of quick notes about today’s bracket (March 12) update:
After securing another West Coast Conference title Tuesday night, the Gonzaga Bulldogs can rest easy while waiting for the 68-team bracket to be revealed on Sunday night. The same can’t be said for Brigham Young. It’s going to be a tense few days for the Cougars. For now, BYU retains its spot in the First Four as one of the final at-large teams in the field. But the Cougars could be overtaken as further bubble games unfold between now and Selection Sunday.
Beyond Gonzaga, we official welcome Milwaukee, Mount St. Mary’s, and North Dakota State to the bracket as automatic qualifiers.
Today, several power conferences begin tournament play. The rest start tomorrow. While some teams are more secure than others, up to 13 spots remain uncertain for the stretch run. That should make for a lot of exciting action.
Inside the Bracket: Delaware, Manhattan, Wofford punch tickets
A couple of quick notes about today’s (March 11) bracket update:
We welcome Delaware, Manhattan, and Wofford as automatic qualifiers. Each punched its ticket Monday night. Unlike some bubble teams, they can rest easy in anticipation of the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday evening.
Brigham Young (BYU) survived in overtime to beat San Francisco in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference tournament. The Cougars face top-seeded Gonzaga in the championship game tonight. A bubble team among the First Four participants, BYU could erase any doubt by capturing the WCC crown. Otherwise, there will be some tense moments for the Cougars between now and Selection Sunday.
Also tonight … Dance cards will be awarded to the winners of the Summit League, NEC, and Horizon League. Wednesday, the games really get rolling. Enjoy the action.
Bracketville 
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