Congratulations are in order to the Harvard Crimson for securing their first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 1946. Harvard (26-4) clinched the Ivy League title following last night’s Princeton win over Penn.
Here is the up-to-date (as of Tuesday Night, March 6) results of all conference tournaments as well as the pairings for today’s games.
America East
Preliminary Round
#9 Binghamton 73 #8 Md.-Balt. Co. 67
Quarterfinals
#1 Stony Brook 78 # 9 Binghamton 69
#4 Albany 63 #5 New Hampshire 45
#2 Vermont 50 #7 Maine 40
#6 Hartford 53 #3 Boston U 49
Semifinals
#1 Stony Brook 57 #4 Albany 55
#2 Vermont 77 #6 Hartford 73 2OT
CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Stony Brook (21-8) vs. Vermont (22-11)
This is a one-bid league.
Atlantic Sun
Quarterfinals
#1 Belmont 76 #8 Jacksonville 62
#4 East Tennessee 68 #5 N. Florida 66
#2 Mercer 61 #7 Lipscomb 53
#6 Florida Gulf Coast 71 #3 S. Carolina Upstate 61
Semifinals
#1 Belmont 69 #4 East Tennessee 61
#6 Florida Gulf Coast 62 #2 Mercer 58
CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Belmont 83 Florida Gulf Coast 69
Automatic Bid – BELMONT 27-7
At-Large Teams – None
Bubble – None
Atlantic 10
1st Round
#8 Massachusetts 92 #9 Duquesne 83
#5 St. Joe’s 80 #12 Charlotte 64
#7 LaSalle 80 #10 Richmond 72
#6 Dayton 67 #11 George Washington 50
Quarterfinals (Friday, March 9)
#1 Temple (24-6) vs. #8 Massachusetts (21-10)
#4 St. Bonaventure (17-11) vs. #5 St. Joe’s (20-12)
#2 St. Louis (24-6) vs. #7 LaSalle (21-11)
#3 Xavier (19-11) vs. #6 Dayton (20-11)
At-Large: Temple
Upper Bubble: St. Louis
Lower Bubble: Xavier, St. Joe’s, and Dayton
The eight remaining teams in this tournament are not that far apart, and the final three days should be highly competitive. Literally, any of this octet can cut down the nets in Atlantic City on Sunday.
Big East
Opening Round
#9 Connecticut 81 #16 Dayton 67
#13 Pittsburgh 73 #12 St. John’s 59
#10 Seton Hall 79 #15 Providence 47
#14 Villanova 70 #11 Rutgers 49
2nd Round
#8 West Virginia (19-12) vs. #9 Connecticut (19-12)
#5 Georgetown (22-7) vs. #13 Pittsburgh (17-15)
#7 Louisville (22-9) vs. #10 Seton Hall (20-11)
#6 South Florida (19-12) vs. #14 Villanova (13-18)
At-Large: Syracuse, Marquette, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Louisville, Cincinnati
Upper Bubble: West Virginia, Seton Hall, South Florida, Connecticut
Lower Bubble: None (Pitt is the only bottom half team with a chance to pull off five upsets and break through with an automatic bid.) South Florida could be in jeopardy if they are upset by Villanova.
Big Sky
Quarterfinals
#3 Portland St. 75 #6 Montana St. 53
#4 Eastern Washington 81 #5 Idaho St. 75
Semifinals
#1 Montana 74 #4 Eastern Washington 66
#2 Weber St. 69 #3 Portland St. 63
CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Montana (24-6) vs. #2 Weber St. (24-5)
This is a one-bid league, but both Montana and Weber State are talented enough to win an opening round game in the NCAA Tournament.
Big South
Preliminary Round
#8 High Point 68 #9 Gardner-Webb 58
#7 VMI 55 #10 Radford 53
Quarterfinals
#1 UNC-Asheville 86 #8 High Point 61
#4 Charleston Sou. 88 #5 Liberty 74
#6 Winthrop 71 #3 Campbell 55
#7 VMI 85 #2 Coastal Carolina 68
Semifinals
#1 UNC-Asheville 91 #4 Charleston Sou. 64
#7 VMI 75 #6 Winthrop 55
CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 UNC-Asheville 80 #7 VMI 64
Automatic Bid – UNC-ASHEVILLE 24-9
At-Large Teams – None
Bubble – None
Big 12
Opening Round
#8 Oklahoma (15-15) vs. #9 Texas A&M (13-17)
#7 Oklahoma St. (14-17) vs. #10 Texas Tech (8-22)
At-Large: Kansas, Missouri, Iowa St., Baylor, Kansas St.
Upper Bubble: Texas
Lower Bubble: None (A Texas loss in the quarterfinals would move the Longhorns here.
Colonial Athletic
Opening Round
#9 UNC-Wilmington 70 #8 James Madison 59
#5 Delaware 72 #12 Towson St. 65
#6 Georgia St. 85 #11 Hofstra 50
#7 Northeastern 57 #10 William & Mary 49
Quarterfinals
#1 Drexel 59 #9 UNC-Wilmington 47
#4 Old Dominion 88 #5 Delaware 74
#3 George Mason 61 #6 Georgia St. 59
#2 Virginia Commonwealth 75 #10 William & Mary 65
Semifinals
#1 Drexel 68 #4 Old Dominion 51
#2 Virginia Commonwealth 74 #3 George Mason 64
CHAMPIONSHIP
#2 Virginia Commonwealth 59 #1 Drexel 56
Automatic Bid – VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH 28-6
At-Large Teams – None
Bubble – Drexel
Drexel has a chance of earning an at-large bid, but their RPI is on the low side at 68.
Conference USA
Opening Round
#5 U A B (14-15) vs. #12 Tulane (15-15)
#8 U T E P (14-16) vs. #9 Houston (15-14)
#7 Rice (17-14) vs. #10 East Carolina (14-15)
#6 Marshall (18-12) vs. #11 S M U (13-18)
At-Large: Memphis
Upper Bubble: Southern Miss
Lower Bubble: None
Central Florida has a chance to move up to the lower bubble with a run to the finals, but it would still be a remote shot if they lose in the Championship Game.
Horizon League
Opening Round
#4 Milwaukee 68 #9 Illinois-Chi. 55
#5 Butler 70 #8 Wright St. 52
#3 Detroit 80 #10 Loyola (Chi) 71
#6 Youngstown 77 #7 Green Bay 60
Quarterfinals
#5 Butler 71 #4 Milwaukee 49
#3 Detroit 93 #6 Youngstown St. 76
Semifinals
#1 Valparaiso 65 #5 Butler 46
#3 Detroit 63 #2 Cleveland St. 58
CHAMPIONSHIP
#3 Detroit 70 #1 Valparaiso 50
Automatic Bid – DETROIT 22-13
At-Large Teams – None
Bubble – None
This is a one-bid league. Neither Valpo, Cleveland State nor Butler will earn at-large bids.
M A A C
Preliminary Round
#8 Marist 64 #9 St. Peter’s 57
#7 Niagara 80 #10 Canisius 70
Quarterfinals
#1 Iona 87 #8 Marist 63
#4 Fairfield 65 #5 Rider 63
#2 Loyola (MD) 86 #7 Niagara 73
#6 Siena 84 #3 Manhattan 82
Semifinals
#4 Fairfield 85 #1 Iona 75
#2 Loyola (MD) 70 #6 Siena 60
CHAMPIONSHIP
#2 Loyola (MD) 48 #4 Fairfield 44
Automatic Bid – LOYOLA (MD) 24-8
At-Large Teams – None
Bubble – None
This is a one-bid league. Iona played their way out of the Big Dance and into the NIT.
M A C
Opening Round
#5 Eastern Michigan (14-17) vs. #12 Northern Illinois (4-25)
#8 Western Michigan (12-19) vs. #9 Ball St. (15-14)
#7 Toledo (16-15) vs. #10 (Miami (O) (9-20)
#6 Bowling Green (16-14) vs. #11 (Central Michigan (10-20)
2nd Round
#8 Western Michigan (13-19) vs. #12 Northern Illinois (5-25)
#7 Toledo (17-15) vs. #11 Central Michigan (11-20)
This could develop into a two-bid league. Akron has moved up to #62 in the RPI and Ohio is #70. Ohio has a bye to the quarterfinals and Akron has two more byes to the semifinals.
M E A C
Opening Round
#8 Hampton 69 #9 Morgan St. 65
#5 North Carolina Central 60 #12 Md. Eastern Shore 43
#4 Bethune-Cookman 62 #13 South Carolina St. 53
#11 Florida A& M 74 #6 Coppin St. 72
#10 Howard 51 #7 North Carolina A&T 50
Quarterfinals
#1 Savannah St. (21-10) vs. #8 Hampton (11-20)
#4 Bethune-Cookman (16-16) vs. #5 North Carolina Central (17-14)
#2 Norfolk St. (22-9) vs. #7 Howard (10-20)
#3 Delaware St. (15-13) vs. #11 Florida A&M (9-22)
This is a one-bid league. If Savannah St. or Norfolk St. win the tournament, there is a chance for the winner to avoid the opening round in Dayton.
Missouri Valley
Opening Round
#8 Indiana St. 66 #9 Southern Illinois 51
#7 Drake 65 #10 Bradley 49
Quarterfinals
#1 Wichita St. 72 #8 Indiana St. 48
#4 Illinois St. 54 #5 Northern Iowa 42
#2 Creighton 68 vs. #7 Drake 61
#3 Evansville 72 vs. #6 Missouri St. 64
Semifinals
#4 Illinois St. 65 #1 Wichita St. 64
#2 Creighton 99 #3 Evansville 71
CHAMPIONSHIP
#2 Creighton 83 #4 Illinois St. 79 OT
Automatic Bid – Creighton 27-5
At-Large – Wichita St. 27-5
Bubble – None
Mountain West
Quarterfinals
#1 San Diego St. (24-6) vs. #8 Boise St. (13-16)
#4 Colorado St. (19-10) vs. #5 T C U (17-13)
#2 New Mexico (24-6) vs. #7 Air Force (13-15)
#3 U N L V (25-7) vs. #6 Wyoming (20-10)
At-Large: San Diego St., UNLV, New Mexico
Upper Bubble: Colorado St.
Lower Bubble: None
TCU and Wyoming lost too many times in February. Both teams can only get there by earning the automatic bid. Colorado State can secure a bid with a win over T C U.
Northeast
Quarterfinals
#1 Long Island 80 #8 Sacred Heart 68
#5 Quinnipiac 80 #4 St. Francis (NY) 72
#3 Robert Morris 87 #6 Monmouth 68
#2 Wagner 87 #7 Central Conn. St. 77
Semifinals
#1 Long Island 78 #5 Quinnipiac 75
#3 Robert Morris 71 #2 Wagner 64
CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Long Island (23-8) vs. #3 Robert Morris (23-9)
This is a one-bid league.
Ohio Valley
Opening Round
#5 Southeast Missouri 75 #8 E. Kentucky 65
#7 Jacksonville St. 75 #6 Austin Peay 70
Quarterfinals
#4 Tennessee Tech 77 #5 Southeast Missouri 73
#3 Morehead St. 68 #7 Jacksonville St. 54
Semifinals
#1 Murray St. 78 #4 Tennessee Tech 58
#2 Tennessee St. 59 #3 Morehead St. 52
CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Murray St. 54 #2 Tennessee St. 52
Automatic Bid – Murray St. 30-1
At-Large – None
Bubble – None
Murray State should receive a #4 or #5 seed, a #6 at worst.
Pac-12
Opening Round
#8 Washington St. (15-15) vs. #9 Oregon St. (17-13)
#5 U C L A (18-13) vs. #12 U S C (6-25)
#7 Stanford (20-10) vs. #10 Arizona St. (10-20)
#6 Colorado (19-11) vs. #11 Utah (6-24)
At-Large: None
Upper Bubble: California, Washington, Arizona
Lower Bubble: Colorado
UCLA and Stanford could move to the lower bubble if they made it to the Championship Game and lost to one of the three current upper bubble teams. Colorado needs to win two games to have any chance at an at-large bid and may really need to reach the Championship Game to have a legitimate shot. The Buffs’ RPI is 82; wins over Utah, Oregon, and Cal with a loss to Washington could elevate CU to around #65-70, and that is still iffy for an RPI ranking.
Patriot League
Quarterfinals
#1 Bucknell 87 #8 Navy 63
#5 Lafayette 84 #4 Holy Cross 76
#2 Lehigh 70 #7 Colgate 57
#3 American 57 #6 Army 40
Semifinals
#1 Bucknell 79 #5 Lafayette 52
#2 Lehigh 85 #3 American 66
CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Bucknell 24-8 vs. #2 Lehigh 25-7
This is a one-bid league.
Southern
Opening Round
#5N Appalachian St. 93 #4S College of Charleston 81
#3N Western Carolina 68 #6S Citadel 56
#5S Furman 75 #4N Samford 66
#3S Georgia Southern 76 #6N Chattanooga 70
Quarterfinals
#1N UNC-Greensboro 65 #5N Appalachian St. 55
#3N Western Carolina 82 #2S Wofford 59
#1S Davidson 73 #5S Furman 54
#2N Elon 65 #3S Georgia Southern 58
Semifinals
#3N Western Carolina 82 #1N UNC-Greensboro 77
#1S Davidson 83 #2N Elon 67
CHAMPIONSHIP
#1S Davidson 93 #1N UNC-Greensboro 91
Automatic Bid – DAVIDSON 25-7
At-Large Teams – None
Bubble – None
Davidson might not have earned a ticket as an at-large team. Tell that to Kansas coach Bill Self, and he would say you were crazy.
Southland
Quarterfinals
#1 UT-Arlington (23-7) vs. #8 Nicholls St. (10-19)
#4 McNeese St. (15-14) vs. #5 TX-San Antonio (18-13)
#2 Stephen F Austin (19-11) vs. #7 Sam Houston (13-18)
#3 Lamar (20-11) vs. #6 Northwestern State (LA) (16-15)
At-Large: None
Upper Bubble: None
Lower Bubble: None
Texas-Arlington ran away from the field in the regular season standings, but the Mavericks did not run teams out of the gym. They are no shoo-in to cop the conference tournament. SF Austin is a worthy competitor, as is Lamar.
S W A C
Quarterfinals
#1 Mississippi Valley St. (18-12) vs. #8 Jackson St. (7-23)
#4 Alabama St. (12-18) vs. #5 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10-21)
#2 Texas Southern (13-17) vs. #7 Alabama A&M (7-20)
#3 Prairie View (14-17) vs. #6 Alcorn St. (9-21)
At-Large: None
Upper Bubble: None
Lower Bubble: None
In a conference where half of the members lost 20 or more games and 80% had losing records, there is a high probability that the winner of the league’s automatic bid will be playing in Dayton in the opening round. Top seed Mississippi Valley State went 1-11 outside of league play.
Summit League
Quarterfinals
#1 Oral Roberts 71 #8 I P F W 67
#4 Western Illinois 58 #5 North Dakota St. 53
#2 South Dakota St. 77 I U P U I 56
#6 Southern Utah 84 #3 Oakland 82
Semifinals
#4 Western Illinois 54 #1 Oral Roberts 53
#2 South Dakota St. 63 #6 Southern Utah 47
CHAMPIONSHIP
#2 South Dakota St. 52 #4 Western Illinois 50
Automatic Bid – SOUTH DAKOTA ST. 27-7
At-Large Teams –None
Bubble – Oral Roberts
Had South Dakota St. and Oral Roberts advanced to the Championship Game, and Oral Roberts’ lost instead of losing to WIU in the semis, ORU would be on the at-large line and not the bubble. With an RPI of 55, the Golden Eagles are in a precarious position.
Sunbelt
Opening Round
#6 South Alabama 87 #11 Troy 81
#7 Western Kentucky 67 #10 Florida Int’l 63
#9 Arkansas St. 70 #8 Florida Atlantic 55
Quarterfinals
#9 Arkansas St. 64 #1 Middle Tennessee 61
#5 North Texas 65 #4 Louisiana-Lafayette 62
#7 Western Kentucky 68 #2 U A L R 63
#3 Denver 61 #6 South Alabama 50
Semifinals
#5 North Texas 76 #9 Arkansas St. 72
#7 Western Kentucky 67 #3 Denver 63
CHAMPIONSHIP
#7 Western Kentucky 74 #3 Denver 70
Automatic Bid –WESTERN KENTUCKY 15-18
At-Large Teams – None
Bubble – Middle Tennessee
This is probably a one-bid league. The top two seeds lost in their first games in this unique tournament played in two separate gyms in the same building. Middle Tennessee may still be on the bubble with an RPI of 65, but they are more than likely headed to the NIT. Western Kentucky will be headed to the first round in Dayton. However, their 15-18 record is very misleading. The Hilltoppers were supposed to contend for the regular season championship; however, major dissension led to a poor start and a dismissal of head coach Ken McDonald. Since Ray Harper assumed command, WKU has sported a 10-7 record, and a 7-4 finish. This team cannot be overlooked in Dayton and could very well advance to the second round.
W A C
#1 Nevada (25-5) vs. #8 San Jose St. (9-21)
#4 Utah St. (17-14) vs. #5 Louisiana Tech (16-15)
#2 New Mexico St. (23-9) vs. #7 Fresno St. (13-19)
#3 Idaho (18-12) vs. #6 Hawaii (15-15)
At-Large: None
Upper Bubble: None
Lower Bubble: Nevada
For Nevada to earn an at-large bid, all of the major conference tournaments need to be one by high seeds without any other lower bubble teams making a splash.
The dark horse here is Utah State. The 4th-seeded Aggies have been there before and must be respected as a well-coached team that knows how to win.
West Coast
Opening Round
#8 Portland 74 #9 Santa Clara 70
2nd Round
#5 San Francisco 87 #8 Portland 66
#6 San Diego 76 #7 Pepperdine 54
Quarterfinals
#5 San Francisco 67 #4 Loyola Marymount 60
#3 B Y U 73 vs. #6 San Diego 68
Semifinals
#1 Saint Mary’s 83 #5 San Francisco 78
#2 Gonzaga 77 #3 B Y U 58
CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Saint Mary’s 78 #2 Gonzaga 74 OT
Automatic Bid – SAINT MARY’S 26-5
At-Large Teams – Gonzaga
Bubble – B Y U
This has the look of a three-bid league, with the two behemoths and BYU all headed to the Big Dance. Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga are now the true powers of the West. If you remember UCLA versus USC or Oregon State in the 1970’s and 1980’s, this is what this rivalry has become. Both teams could easily advance to the Elite 8.
A Look At The Remaining Conferences
A C C
Tournament Begins March 8 in Atlanta
At-Large: North Carolina, Duke, Florida St., Virginia
Upper Bubble: North Carolina St.
Lower Bubble: Virginia
Big Ten
Tournament Begins March 8 in Indianapolis
At-Large: Ohio St., Michigan St., Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue
Upper Bubble: Northwestern
Lower Bubble: None (Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois have too much ground to make up and need to win the tournament. The three teams have no chance of sneaking in with a loss in the Championship Game).
Big West
Tournament Begins March 8 in Anaheim
At-Large: None
Upper Bubble: Long Beach St.
Lower Bubble: None
Long Beach State played one of the hardest schedules in the nation and fared admirably. Their body of work gives the 49ers the look of a NCAA Tournament team. A loss to Cal State Fullerton in the Championship Game should still keep LBSU safe. A loss in the earlier rounds will throw the 49ers down to the lower bubble.
S E C
Tournament Begins March 8 in New Orleans
At-Large: Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt
Upper Bubble: Alabama, Mississippi St.
Lower Bubble: Tennessee, Ole Miss
Tennessee and Ole Miss are the two hot teams other than Kentucky as the tournament commences. Should one of these teams make it to Sunday, it would be hard to keep them out of the field.
Next Update: Thursday, March 8
The Pi-Rate Ratings 