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| A LOOK AT SUNDAY'S TITLES, AND WHO'S IN THE BIG DANCE
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March 11, 2007
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Ben, SCS.com Staff Writer
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Contact Ben
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Let’s do the math on this year's NCAA Tournament field now that it's set to be announced just a few hours from now. There are 31 automatic bids. That leaves 34 at-large bids in a field of 65. There are 28 teams that are definitely in the tournament. This leaves 6 spots to be decided. Unfortunately, there are 18 teams that are squarely on the bubble, meaning there will be many disappointed come Sunday evening. So who's in and who's out, and how will Sunday's games effect all of that? There's little time left to decide a whole lot on this Selection Sunday.
Championship Sunday
ACC Final: North Carolina State vs. North Carolina
North Carolina comes into this game on a huge roll. Despite going just 16-15 in the regular season, the Wolfpack have beaten Duke, Virginia Tech, and Virginia to reach the ACC Tournament Final. Unfortunately, they still need to win this game to make the NCAA Tournament, and they couldn’t have a tougher opponent. North Carolina is 27-6 overall on the season, and has beaten Florida State and Boston College to easily make the ACC Final. The Tar Heels’ key player, Tyler Hansbrough, has been playing with a protection mask for his face, after he suffered a broken nose in the regular season final against Duke. Whether or not Gerald Henderson’s foul on Hansbrough was intentional or not is undeterminable right now, but we do know that Hansbrough has not suffered from the incident any. He has scored 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds so far in the tournament. North Carolina won both regular season meetings between the two, and they shouldn’t have any problem completing the three game sweep on Sunday. N.C.St will have to hope for an NIT bid, while North Carolina should be in good position for a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Ten Final: Wisconsin vs. Ohio State
This game will be the highlight of all the tournaments, and a great way to bring the regular season to an end. Wisconsin is 29-4 and has won both their tournament games against Michigan State and Illinois to reach the Big Ten final to play top ranked Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 29-3 and have won 16 games in a row, including tournament wins over Michigan and Purdue. These two teams met twice during the regular season, and they were both great games to watch. Wisconsin won the first game at home back in January by 3 points, while Ohio State won the second game at home by a point two weeks ago. If Wisconsin wins, they will be a lock for a 1 seed, while if they lose, they will probably fall to a 2. Ohio State, meanwhile, will get the #1 overall seed for the Big Dance if they win, but even if they lose, they probably won’t fall to a 2. Look for the Buckeyes to get the ball to their big man Greg Oden and take the Big Ten Title.
Big 12 Final: Texas vs. Kansas
This game features quite possibly the two hottest teams in the country. Texas has won 8 of their last 9 games, and has beaten Baylor and Oklahoma State to reach the Big 12 final. The Longhorns are 24-8 on the year all thanks to their Mr. Everything, Kevin Durant. Durant leads the ‘Horns with 25 points per game and 11.5 rebounds too. He will be facing the Jayhawks Sunday, which last time they played, K.D. went for 25 points in the first half, before slowing down and eventually losing to Kansas 90-86 in Lawrence. Kansas comes into this championship having won 23 of their last 25 games and winning key games over Oklahoma and Kansas State to reach the Big 12 championship game. Kansas won the only meeting between the two schools, but it was at Kansas, and they only won by four. This should be a very good game, and if Durant plays like the Player of the Year that he is, then Texas will have no problem with the Jayhawks. The Longhorns are playing for a possible 2 seed, while Kansas is trying to keep their 1. I like Kevin Durant and the Hook ‘Em faithful to help lead Texas to the Big 12 title.
SEC Final: Arkansas vs. Florida
No, this is not the SEC football championship, but this basketball game does have a lot riding on it. Arkansas has won their last five games, including big wins over South Carolina, Vanderbilt (again), and Mississippi State. The Hogs have a 21-12 record and look like they are finally a NCAA Tournament team. But, all impressive streaks must come to an end, and unfortunately for Arkansas, theirs will. They must play Florida for the SEC championship, who by the way IS the best team in NCAA basketball. Despite losing their last 3 road games to end the season, the Gators still hold an impressive 28-5 record, and have beaten Georgia and Ole Miss easily to reach their 3rd straight SEC final. Arkansas, I think has played their way into the NCAA Tournament, and WHEN they lose tomorrow, and they will by a lot, they should still make the Big Dance. Florida, meanwhile, is on the bubble- the 1 seed bubble, that is. Their outcome of either a 1 or 2 seed is still unpredictable at this point. Either way, Florida will roll to their 3rd straight SEC Tournament championship (and their 2nd straight NCAA Championship, but we’ll worry about that one later).
Southland Final: Northwestern State vs. Texas A&M- Corpus Christi
That’s right, the Southland Conference plays their championship on the same day as the “big-dogs”. Unfortunately, there are no 1 or 2 seeds riding on this game. The winner gets an automatic bid the NCAA Tournament, but a 13 seed at best. Northwestern State is 17-14 and has won 4 of its last 5 games. They won their two tournament games against Stephen F. Austin and Lamar at home. Texas A&M- Corpus Christi is the elite of the Southland. The Islanders are 25-6, and have won 19 of their last 21 games. TAMU-CC has beaten Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese State at home to make the Southland Conference Tournament in their first year in the league. A&M won the only regular season game between the two, by 12 points at Northwestern State. This time, the game will be played in Houston, where the Islanders are 16-1 on the year. Mark it down: Two Texas A&M’s make the tourney.
A Look At The Tournament Field
Automatic Qualifiers
ACC N.C.ST/ North Carolina
Am. East Albany
A-Sun Belmont
A-10 George Washington
Big 12 Texas/Kansas
Big East Georgetown
Big Sky Weber State
Big South Winthrop
Big Ten Wisconsin/Ohio State
Big West Long Beach State
Colonial VCU
C-USA Memphis
Horizon Wright State
Ivy League Penn
MAAC Niagra
MAC Miami (OH)
MEAC Florida A&M
Mid-Con Oral Roberts
MVC Creighton
MWC UNLV
Northeast Central Connecticut St.
Ohio Valley Eastern Kentucky
Pac-10 Oregon
Patriot Holy Cross
SEC Arkansas/ Florida
Southern Davidson
Southland NWST/ TAMU-CC
Sun Belt North Texas
SWAC Jackson State
WAC New Mexico State
West Coast Gonzaga
Teams That WILL Get An At-Large Bid
ACC Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Big East Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pitt, Villanova
Big Ten Indiana, Ohio St/Wisconsin, Michigan State
Big 12 Texas A&M, Texas/Kansas
Pac-10 Arizona, UCLA, USC, Washington State
SEC Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
The Rest Air Force, Butler, BYU, Nevada, Southern Illinois, Xavier
Teams On The Bubble
Akron Record: 25-6 RPI: 67 SOS: 181 Last 10: 8-2 Road: 13-5
Appalachian State Record: 22-7 RPI: 64 SOS: 162 Last 10: 8-2 Road: 13-6
Arkansas Record: 21-12 RPI: 32 SOS: 13 Last 10: 6-4 Road: 8-9
Bradley Record: 20-12 RPI: 41 SOS: 21 Last 10: 6-4 Road: 8-9
Clemson Record: 21-10 RPI: 49 SOS: 51 Last 10: 3-7 Road: 8-6
Drexel Record: 22-8 RPI: 45 SOS: 103 Last 10: 7-3 Road: 14-5
Florida State Record: 20-12 RPI: 47 SOS: 18 Last 10: 4-6 Road:6-9
Georgia Tech Record: 20-11 RPI: 51 SOS: 38 Last 10: 7-3 Road: 3-10
Illinois Record: 23-11 RPI: 30 SOS: 24 Last 10: 7-3 Road: 9-8
Kansas State Record: 22-11 RPI: 57 SOS: 87 Last 10: 5-5 Road: 9-9
Missouri State Record: 21-10 RPI: 36 SOS: 40 Last 10: 7-3 Road: 10-6
Oklahoma State Record: 21-12 RPI: 40 SOS: 27 Last 10: 3-7 Road: 7-10
Old Dominion Record: 24-8 RPI: 37 SOS: 96 Last 10: 9-1 Road: 9-6
Purdue Record: 21-11 RPI: 38 SOS: 45 Last 10: 7-3 Road: 5-10
Stanford Record: 18-12 RPI: 68 SOS: 28 Last 10: 4-6 Road: 6-7
Syracuse Record: 22-10 RPI: 54 SOS: 26 Last 10: 7-3 Road: 6-6
Texas Tech Record: 21-12 RPI: 43 SOS: 35 Last 10: 6-4 Road: 8-9
West Virginia Record: 21-9 RPI: 55 SOS: 99 Last 10: 5-5 Road: 8-8
Who Gets In:Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kansas State, Purdue, Syracuse
THE SEEDINGS
1 Seeds Ohio State (#1 overall), Kansas, Florida, UNC
2 Seeds UCLA, Wisconsin, Georgetown, Memphis
3 Seeds Pitt, Texas A&M, Oregon, Texas
4 Seeds Southern Illinois, Washington State, Maryland, UNLV
5 Seeds Louisville, Nevada, Notre Dame, Tennessee
6 Seeds Virginia, Virginia Tech, Marquette, Butler
7 Seeds Boston College, Duke, USC, BYU
8 Seeds Creighton, Villanova, Arizona, Kentucky
9 Seeds Winthrop, Indiana, Michigan State, Vanderbilt
10 Seeds VCU, Illinois, Xavier, Gonzaga
11 Seeds, Davidson, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Kansas State
12 Seeds New Mexico State, Arkansas, Purdue, Air Force
13 Seeds Holy Cross, Texas A&M-CC, Wright State, George Washington
14 Seeds Long Beach State, Oral Roberts, Penn, Miami (OH)
15 Seeds Eastern Kentucky, Niagra, Belmont, Albany
16 Seeds Jackson State, Weber State, Florida A&M, Cen. Conn. State, North Texas
That’ll do it for the regular season, folks. It’s been a good one. But now, its tournament time.
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