Wednesday is always a heavy hoops night, and today is no exception. The difference is that tonight could play a major role in how the bubble shakes out two weeks from now.
9:00 pm: Kansas State @ Nebraska: Quite possibly the most important game of the night. The Wildcats appear to have found their groove, at least momentarily. They followed up a shelacking of Kansas with a 15 point win over Oklahoma. Jacob Pullen is finally playing like an all-american, tallying 65 points in those two wins. Nebraska, however, is a tough team at home, having just knocked off Texas, and has found themselves thrust into the bubble picture. The Cornhuskers matchup well with the Wildcats. With only four games left in league play and both teams sitting at 6-6 in the Big 12, this could end up being a game you see mentioned quite a bit during championship week bubble breakdowns.
9:00 pm: Florida State @ Maryland: Another critical bubble matchup. Florida State won by 18 at Wake Forest in their first game without Chris Singleton, but the 84 points they scored were quite misleading in regards to how well they played. Maryland is a much better team than the Demon Deacons, and much better defensively. Maryland has some work to do is they want to earn an at-large bid and cannot afford a home loss. But this is the kind of win that the Seminoles need to prove to the committee that they are still a tournament-worthy team with their star on the sidelines.
8:00 pm: Colorado State @ No. 7 BYU: Colorado State is right on the edge of the bubble's cut line as of today, but come Selection Sunday, that is the worst place to be sitting. All it takes is a couple of middle-of-the-pack teams from the lower conferences getting hot for a week to ruin any hope of making the tournament. That's why this game -- and a season ending trip to SDSU -- is so important for the Rams. Knock off one of those two on the road, and CSU has the inside track to the MWC's third bid, albeit from an unexpected source.
9:00 pm: Cincinnati @ No. 11 Georgetown: The Bearcats picked up an important win against Louisville at home last week, but they still need to prove that they can notch a win against quality competition on the road. The Bearcats are currently sitting at 8-6 in Big East play, but with a difficult final four games and a weak non-conference schedule, they may need to get over .500 in conference play if they want to dance.
6:30 pm: No. 12 Wisconsin @ Michigan: The Wolverines are one of the few teams that have actually played their way into contention this year. After starting league play out 1-6, Michigan has won six of their last eight games to put themselves in a good position down the stretch. Wins against Clemson and Harvard aren't going to cut it when cuts are finally made. Tonight is a great opportunity for John Beilein's team. They get a top 15 team that has struggled on the road. Can they capitalize?
9:00 pm: Baylor @ No. 21 Missouri: The Bears are in serious danger of missing the NCAA Tournament after losing to a Texas Tech team that was missing Mike Singletary at home. The good news for Baylor? They will have plenty of opportunities to change their standing, as three of their final four games come against top 25 teams. This is a tough matchup, however. Missouri has won four of their last five games, is a much better teams at home, and Baylor struggles on the road.
9:00 pm: UNLV @ New Mexico: UNLV has a terrific RPI, but the rest of their resume doesn't have the kind of substance that you want to see out of an at-large team. The Pit is historically a difficult place to get a win, but this Lobo team is not as good as many of us expected it to be this season. The Rebels cannot afford to falter.
7:00 pm: Miami FL @ Boston College: If the NCAA Tournament started today, it would probably be a coinflip as to whether or not the Eagles got in. As we mentioned early, that is a bad spot to be in heading into championship week. Losing to Miami would push BC to the wrong side of the bubble.
7:00 pm: UTEP @ East Carolina: After losing to UCF on Monday, there is no way that the Miners can feel comfortable about their NCAA standing. That said, UTEP still has a shot to earn an at-large bid, but they probably need to win out in the regular season and even win a game or two in the C-USA tournament to have a shot.
7:00 pm: VCU @ Drexel: Outside of Utah State, there might not have been a team in the country that had a more beneficial BracketBusters weekend. Combine their win with the CAA's dominance, and the Rams could very well get themselves an at-large bid with a couple of wins down the stretch.
8:00 pm: Arkansas @ Alabama: This game is simple -- lose, and Alabama is going to be in a very bad spot on Selection Sunday.
Non-Bubble Action
7:00 pm: No. 24 Temple @ No. 1 Duke The Blue Devils are currently No. 1 in the country, but it is debatable whether or not they would even garner a No. 1 seed if the tournament started today. Why? They simply don't have enough marquee wins. Duke can change that tonight against Temple, an at-large lock and the second best team in the Atlantic 10.
8:00 pm: No. 22 Kentucky @ Arkansas: Eventually, Kentucky is going to have to win a game on the road to legitimize their standing and a potential top four seed. This team has the talent, but they are lacking the leadership. That said, Darius Miller and Deandre Liggins have been playing much better of late.
Other Notable Games
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday's Pregame Beat: Busy night on the bubble |
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