No big news on the bubble front Wednesday. Nova beat Syracuse to end Syracuse's tourney hopes and keep their own alive, and UD, St. Joe's, Arizona, and WVU all won to keep their tourney hopes alive. A lot of bubble action on Thursday.
Thursday's bubble games to watch:
Villanova vs. Georgetown: Villanova still has to beat Georgetown to get serious consideration. The bad late foul calls that led to losses against Gtown and NC State might get some consideration from the committtee, but its still a win or go home situation for Nova. Go Hoyas.
Dayton vs. Xavier: If UD beats Xavier, I don't see how the committee could keep them out with a sub-30 RPI and SOS. It doesn't look like Chris Wright will be back for any of the A10 Tourney, and his NCAA Tourney status is still up in the air. Buckeyes are rooting hard for Xavier in this one.
Tulsa vs. UAB: UAB needs to win this one to stay in the discussion, and they are still a long shot at that. Hopefully Tulsa can send them to the NIT right here.
NC State vs. Miami: Miami is sitting pretty right- if the season ended today, they would be in for sure. But a loss here could seriously hurt their prospects. I don't see the ACC being a 3-bid league, but better that Miami was on the bubble with us than a lock. Go Wolfpack.
Richmond vs. St. Joe's: St. Joe's still needs to beat UMass or Xavier before they merit any serious consideration. Any loss would end it for them, and thats what I'm hoping Richmond can accomplish.
Arizona State vs. USC: The Trojans are locks, but the Devils still have something to prove. A win here would put them in the middle of the discussion, while a loss would send them home. Go Trojans.
Colorado vs. Baylor: Baylor is looking pretty good right now, but a loss here could move them back to the bubble. Considering Colorado is 3-13 in Big 12 play I'm not holding my breath.
Houston vs. UTEP: Houston's weak RPI and SOS mean that it needs to get to at least the conference tourney finals to have any kind of shot at an at-large, and its still a long shot from there. It's not going to happen.
LaSalle vs. Temple: Temple is another team that would have to make it to the conference tourney finals to get serious consideration, and I don't think they can pull it off.
Toledo vs. Kent State: Kent is pretty much a lock right now, but a loss to lowly Toledo could move them back onto the bubble. Again, better them being on the bubble with us than a lock. Go Rockets.
Alabama vs. Florida: Florida has to make a serious statement in the SEC Tourney to get an at-large, at least getting to the conference tourney finals. Don't see it happening, but who knows.
Charlotte vs. UMass: UMass is probably the second team from the A10 in line for a bid, right up there with UD. Winning here would almost solidfy an at-large, while losing could really hurt. Go Charlotte.
BC vs. Maryland: Maryland has a lot to prove, and probably needs a conference finals run to get serious at-large consideration. I would rather it not get that far.
Oregon vs. Washington State: For Oregon, winning this game puts them in a really good position, while losing this game probably end's their tourney dreams. They have a very similar resume to tOSU, and they play in the better conference. For that reason, I'm rooting hard for Wazzou here.
TCU vs. UNLV: UNLV is looking good with a mid-20s RPI and decent SOS, but a loss at home here would really hurt. I'm rooting for the loss.
Iowa State vs. TAMU: Considering TAMU beat us by like 25, I am hoping for a bad loss from them early in the B12 Tourney. I don't want the committee comparing us and them too hard.
Georgia vs. Ole Miss: Mississippi has a great 5-4 record vs. the RPI Top 50, and despite a lackluster RPI of their own, I don't want the committee discussing their potential in the room. Rooting hard for someone to end it early for them.
Arizona vs. Stanford: A win for Arizona locks up a bid for sure, and while a loss doesn't knock them out by any means, it puts them back on the bubble with teams like tOSU. Their RPI and SOS are both great, and they can play the injury card too. Still, a loss is much better for us than win, so go Cardinal.
Utah vs. New Mexico: New Mexico still has a lot to prove, and is probably battling UNLV for the second spot from the MWC. Still, if both lose, that opens up a spot for us. Go Utes.
Thats a lot of games, and a lot of long shots. Teams I'm rooting hardest against are Villanova, UD, Baylor, UMass, Oregon, UNLV, Arizona, and Ole Miss.
And of course, none of this means anything unless we beat MSU on Friday.
