Wednesday saw pure chaos unfold, and we suddenly have a bubble that is worse than anything we’ve seen before! Thankfully, bid thieves are most likely incoming and things should get better soon. Not much movement yesterday on the top line, but the bubble was a mess!
Bubble: Note, this was the bubble heading into Wednesday.
- Texas A&M – Idle.
- UCF – beat Cincinnati – 10 seed, would move to a 9 with a win over AZ.
- Missouri – Lost to Kentucky. They’re fine, maybe they slip a spot or two, but they’ll go dancing!
- NC State – beat Pitt today. They’ll be in the field.
- Santa Clara – Done. However, they’ll likely be fine as things got very chaotic behind them!
- Texas – lost to Ole Miss by 10 – 17-14 in D1
- SMU – lost to Louisville
- VCU – off today
- Indiana – lost by 13 to Northwestern
- Auburn – WON
- Cal – lost to FSU
- VT – lost yesterday
- New Mexico/San Diego State – Idle. It was a very good day for the MWC.
- Oklahoma – won, staying alive
- Others: Cincinnati, WVU, OKST, Boise State all lost, ending their hopes.
Updated Seed List:
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Champ Week Thursday:
MAC
UMass and Miami kick off the MAC championship at 11:00 on ESPN+. The key storyline for the MAC tournament is if Miami can stay undefeated, as we have reached the point where the MAC could be a 2-bid league if someone beats Miami. Bowling Green and Toledo will keep things going after that, in a game the Rockets are favored by 1.5 in. Akron will matchup with Buffalo in a key battle to see if anyone can catch Miami! They’re favored by 13.5. Matchup four is Ohio and Kent State, which figures to be a high-scoring, close matchup. I’ll take Kent State to win it.
A-10
A-10 second round kicks off and we see some intriguing matchups throughout the day, kicking off with George Washington and Fordham. St. Bonaventure and George Mason will play the 2nd game of the day on USA Network, with Mason being favored by 3.5. I feel like that line is a bit too low with the recent coaching change for St. Bonaventure. Rhode Island and Duquesne will tip at 5:00, and Duquesne is favored by 2.5 in what will be a fun matchup. Loyola Chicago, fresh off their upset win, will now look to beat Davidson in the 3rd A-10 matchup of the day. They’re favored by 6.5.
ACC
ACC play continues, with NC State and Virginia getting things going at noon on ESPN2. This should be a really exciting matchup, and both teams are playing for seeding at this point. Louisville and Miami will battle in the 2nd matchup of the day in one of the more anticipated matchups of the afternoon. Louisville is a 6, Miami is a 7. This one has the Cardinals favored by 1.5, and should be electric! Duke will tip off their ACC run with a really interesting matchup against FSU. Duke is missing 2 starters, and is likely just trying to stay healthy and move to the NCAA Tournament. Florida State, however, is hot. This one tips at 7:00 on ESPN. Clemson and UNC will close the night, with UNC looking to move up a bit on the 5 line. Clemson is looking to solidify their footing on the 7 line.
Big East
The Big East’s day kicks off with the rematch of St. John’s and Providence! I, for one, will have my eyes peeled. I hope both teams can keep things clean and let this be a good game. SJU is favored by 10.5. Creighton and Seton Hall will tip off in the 2nd matchup of the day. Hall is favored by 2.5, and I expect this to be a bit of a defensive rock fight. UConn and Xavier will tip at 7:00 on FS1. Expect UConn to dominate this one, as they did in the regular season. Georgetown and Villanova will close the night out at 9:30 in a really fun matchup. Nova is looking to continue moving up the seed list.
Big Ten
The Big Ten second round will start with Iowa and Ohio State going to battle. Both teams are relatively comfortably into the field. This one likely decides who gets a better seed than the other. Wisconsin and Washington will battle next, Wisconsin is favored by 6.5. The Badgers are a projected 6 seed. Northwestern and Purdue will tip at 6:30 on BTN, and the game should be one that Purdue rolls through. They’re favored by 10.5, however, can Martinelli keep them alive?! UCLA and Rutgers will will tip off at 9:00 on BTN. The Bruins are fighting for seeding. Rutgers is hoping to cause chaos.
Big 12
Iowa State and Texas Tech will kick off the Big 12 quarterfinals, with Iowa State being favored by 5.5. This feels very much like a toss-up, both teams are protected seeds in the tournament, and are looking to jump up. Arizona will tip off against UCF at 3:00 on ESPN in a game they’re favored by a massive 16.5 in. Expect Arizona to roll. UCF enters as a 9/10 seed. BYU and Houston tip at 7:00 on ESPN2. Earlier in the year, I would’ve thought this was going to be a game later in the week, but despite AJ Dybantsa being the best player in the conference, BYU just hasn’t been able to get it done. Houston continues to improve, however, and they’ll likely roll here. Kansas and TCU will play, tipping at 9:30 on ESPN2. KU is fighting for the 3/4/5 range, while TCU is fighting to stabilize on the 9 line a bit.
SEC
The SEC 2nd round will get underway with Kentucky and Missouri at 12:30. UK is favored by 3.5 here, but Missouri is well rested. This should be a really exciting game, and again, feels like a toss-up to me. Auburn and Tennessee will battle in the 2nd game. I will add that if Auburn wins this, they are going dancing. If they lose, they are susceptible to a bid thief, but might still be in. For UT, they are in and currently project as a 6 seed. Ole Miss and Georgia are game 3 of the SEC slate, and the Bulldogs are favored by 6.5 over upset-minded Ole Miss! Chris Beard’s squad may have knocked Texas out of the field; can they now hurt Georgia’s seeding? Oklahoma and Texas A&M will tip off to close the night. This matchup is critical if Oklahoma wants any chance at making a run. A&M is fighting for a 9.
SWAC
The SWAC quarterfinals continue today, with Alabama A&M and Texas Southern playing the first matchup. Alabama A&M is favored by 1.5. Southern and Arkansas Pine Bluff will tip at 8:30 with Southern favored by 4.5.
MWC
The MWC quarterfinals are starting today, with UNLV and Utah State starting at 3:00. Utah State is an 8 and a 6.5-point favorite. The next matchup is Nevada and Grand Canyon at 5:30, and features two teams who could go on a run in Vegas. San Diego State and Colorado State will battle at 9:00 on CBSSN in the 3rd game of the night. New Mexico will matchup with San Jose State in a critical game for their tournament hopes.New Mexico and SDSU are all alive on the bubble!
MEAC
MEAC Quarterfinals feature SC State and Norfolk State at 6:00, with Norfolk being favored by 7.5. Maryland Eastern Shore and NC Central will tip at 8:00 in a game NCCU is favored by 1.5. Expect a rock fight.
CUSA
The CUSA quarterfinals continue, and after Liberty’s loss last night, it is anyone’s game! Middle Tennessee and Louisiana Tech will tip at 6:30 in a matchup that will be a bit of a rock fight, but should be close. Kennesaw State and Western Kentucky will tip at 9:00 in Huntsville, with the Hilltoppers being favored by 1.5.
American
The American second round sees Tulane and Charlotte going at it in Birmingham. Tip is at 7:00. FAU and North Texas will play at 9:30 on ESPNU.
WAC
The WAC quarterfinals will start at 9:00, with Southern Utah and UT Arlington getting things started. UTA is favored by 5.5. Abiline Christian and Utah Tech tip at 11:30 on ESPN+.
Big West
The Big West quarterfinals will commence, with Cal State Northridge and UC San Diego playing at 9:00. Cal State Fullerton and UC Davis will tip at 11:30 to close the quarterfinals out!
