Friday Recap, Saturday Preview

Hard to imagine things going better for the NCAA and its affiliates than they did today. Why? The bubble got no clearer, and if anything, became more muddled, and a slew of great matchups are set for today. They now have you hooked through the weekend, if they didnt already. Lets do this conference by conference. Stop me when something went against the NCAA.


ACC:

UNC survived, as discussed earlier. Clemson destroyed BC, pretty much eliminating the latter's chances of making the tournament (one of the few teams we can say were eliminated today). Duke won, and VT won. Now, the ACC is looking at 5 teams: UNC, Duke, FSU, Clemson, and VT.

BIG12:

Colorado lost to Kansas, but may have done enough to secure a spot in the tourney. They figure to be a bubble team come sunday. Texas won, setting up the Texas Kansas match everyboyd wanted.

BigEast:

What can you say? 2 OT games. Uconn Lville tomorrow night at the Garden.

Big Ten:

The conference that gained the most on Friday. Illinois lost, knocking them down severely, but they should be in okay shape still. Michigan locked their bid up today. The other bubble teams, MSU and PSU, both scored major upsets. MSU dominated Purdue, and PSU scored 36 points, and won. Is MSU a lock now? Does PSU get in if they beat MSU tomorrow? If PSU wins tomorrow, and is in, and MSU is in, and Michigan is in, where does that leave Illinois? I cant imagine Penn State leapfrogging so many spots over so many teams, including Illinois, just because they beat Wisconsin and Michigan State, but I also cant envision the selection committee taking 7 teams from the Big10. I know I said about a week ago that if Illinois lost and didnt get in, I wouldnt watch the tournament. At this point, I dont give a shit. They dont deserve to get in. And what if they do? Im going to watch them outplay someone for 32 minutes and then go on a 6-24 run in the final 8 minutes like I have 90 times the past 5 years?


PAC10:

The only other team eliminated from contention today was USC. The Pac10 gets its dream re-match of the Washington Arizona game from 2-3 weeks ago that was awesome.

SEC:

Alabama won, setting up more controversy between Bama and UGA getting in. Kentucky advanced. Vandy advanced, and Florida advanced. All the top seeds. As good of a final four as the SEC could have asked for.

MWC:

And in the mountain west.......history. Fredettee dropped 52, with only one point coming from the free throw line. BYU avenged 2 of their 3 losses tonight, finally beating New Mexico. And in the nightcap, SDSU just barely edged UNLV on UNLV's home floor. This sets up........BYU SDSU III, another dream rematch. The teams have 5 combined losses, 2 of them against each other. Anotherwords, its gonna be another great fucking game.


So what more could you ask for? Wash Arizona, LVille UConn, Texas Kansas, SDSU BYU, more bubble intrigue than ever before, and the potential to still get Kentucky Florida, Duke UNC, and Ohio State vs somebody.

Oh, and lets not forget about Princeton and Harvard hooking up in the one game playoff tomorrow. CUSA final with UTEP Memphis, and a A-10 semifinal, with the winner being an overwhelming favorite in the finals (richmond vs temple). The America East, MEAC , WAC, Big West, SWAC, and MAC titles will also be decided tomorrow.


The games bubble teams are going to be watching:

If Clemson and VT arent in yet, then other bubble teams are going to be rooting for chalk in the ACC tourney. Theyll need UNC and Duke to blow them out.

Alabama beating Kentucky would pretty much ensure the Crimson Tide get in the NCAA tournament.

Richmond should be in, but as is with Clemson and VT, bubble teams could root for Temple to kick their ass.

Assuming that MSU is in, and Penn State has work to do, bubble teams should be rooting for Sparta.

I don't know what to make of C-USA still. If UTEP wins, I dont think Memphis should be in. If Memphis wins, I dont really think UTEP should be in, but they would have a better chance at an large than Memphis does. By that rationale, bubble teams should root for the Miners.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly. Bubble teams should be rooting for Utah State to finish up their great season and beat Boise State. Palm says Utah State is a bubble team if they lose, but I totally disagree. I think they are in either way. Boise State would easily be stealing a bid if they win.

And a preview of this discussion for Sunday...whoever wins the St. Joes v Dayton game tomorrow cant win the A-10, or else another bid will be stolen.


I think this is the most times Ive used the word "bubble" in an article so far. I apologize. I can't wait until Sunday night when I dont have to anymore.