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Here we are getting ready to enter every college basketball fan's favorite month…March. From Lexington, to Lawrence, and west to Tucson, there is not a nook or cranny in this country where the Madness is not liked. Think about it, there is only one month out of the year where workplaces and schools stop to watch a basketball game if it comes on in the early afternoon. So as everyone is prepared to pencil in Duke, Stanford, Gonzaga, Kentucky etc… Here are a few teams that may not be in the Tourney but I think could surprise people and win their conference tournament, therefore receiving an automatic bid. If there is any team that’s on the bubble, I'd say it would have to be Purdue. With an RPI of 88 and a SOS of 173, it's hard to believe they're still in the hunt. Their three top 25 wins over Duke, Wisconsin, and Seton Hall are keeping them on the bubble. This team will be a threat to win the Big 10 Tourney in Chicago as well. That would most likely prevent the Big 10 from getting quite so embarrassed and getting only four teams in the tournament. Leonard Hamilton has brought his Florida State squad almost all the way to the big dance, and they have very impressive wins along the way. Yet they are still on the bubble since they are 6-8 in conference play. But they have shown the ability to beat teams like Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest. So, they have beaten 3 out of the top 4 teams in the ACC which means with a little bit of luck, they could end up fighting Duke in the ACC Tourney to play in March. For the first time since 1998, a defending Final Four team will not make the tournament, that being Marquette (in my opinion). But I do think C-USA will get a record 5 teams in and possibly 6. That sixth team I am looking at is DePaul. They have an RPI of 51, so to be safe, I think they need to either get far in the conference tournament or win it all, which is possible. They have two studs in the frontcourt in Andre Brown and Quemont Greer and a last name that has come all to familiar to C-USA foes: Drake Diener. He is shooting a blistering 48% from behind the arc.
NEWS & NOTES
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There are teams sitting on the bubble all around right now...dangerous teams, too. If the teams previewed in this week's Memo make the NCAA Tournament, you do not want to be matched up with them in round one....