PiRate Ratings College Basketball — Sunday, March 12, 2023

Home	Visitor	Spread
Houston	Memphis	4.7
VCU	Dayton	0.1
Purdue	Penn St.	6.2
Princeton	Yale	-2.6
Alabama	Texas A&M	7.3

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Sunday’s Conference Championship Games

All Times Eastern DAYLIGHT Time (Did you remember to Spring forward?)

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American Athletic Conference — Fort Worth, TX

3:15 PM on ESPN

#1 Houston (31-2) vs. #2 Memphis (25-8)

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Atlantic 10 Conference — Brooklyn

1 PM on CBS

#1 VCU (26-7) vs. #2 Dayton (22-11)

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Big Ten — Chicago

3:30 PM on CBS

#1 Purdue (28-5) vs. #10 Penn St. (22-12)

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Ivy League — Princeton, NJ

12:00 PM on ESPN2

#1 Yale (21-7) vs. #2 Princeton (20-8)

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Southeastern Conference — Nashville

1 PM on ESPN

#1 Alabama (28-5) vs. #2 Texas A&M (25-8)

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Selection Sunday Shows

6 PM on CBS

7 PM on ESPN

PiRate Ratings Conference Tournament Schedule

Saturday, March 11, 2023 All Times Eastern Standard

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America East Conference — Higher Seed Hosts

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPN2) 11 AM

#2 UMass Lowell (26-7) at #1 Vermont (22-10)

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American Athletic Conference — Fort Worth, TX

Semifinals (ESPN2)

#1 Houston (30-2) vs. #4 Cincinnati (21-11) 3 PM

#2 Memphis (24-8) vs. #3 Tulane (20-10) 5:30 PM

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Atlantic 10 Conference — Brooklyn

Semifinals (CBSSN)

#1 VCU (25-7) vs. #4 Saint Louis (21-11) 1 PM

#2 Dayton (21-11) vs. #3 Fordham (25-7) 3:30 PM

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Atlantic Coast Conference — Greensboro, NC

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPN) 8:30 PM

#3 Virginia (25-6) vs. #4 Duke (25-8)

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Big 12 Conference — Kansas City

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPN) 6 PM

#1 Kansas (27-6) vs. #2 Texas (25-8)

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Big East Conference — New York

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Fox Sports) 6:30 PM

#1 Marquette (27-6) vs. #2 Xavier (25-8)

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Big Ten Conference — Chicago

Semifinals (CBS)

#1 Purdue (27-5) vs. #13 Ohio St, (16-18) 1 PM

#3 Indiana (22-10) vs. #10 Penn St. (21-12) 3:30 PM

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Big West Conference — Henderson, NV (Las Vegas)

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPN2) 9:30 PM

#2 UC Santa Barbara (26-7) vs. #4 Cal St. Fullerton (20-12)

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Conference USA — Frisco, TX

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (CBSSN) 8:30 PM

#1 Florida Atlantic (30-3) vs. #3 UAB (25-8)

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Ivy League — Princeton, NJ

Semifinals (ESPNU)

#1 Yale (20-7) vs. #4 Cornell (17-10) 11 AM

#2 Princeton (19-8) vs. #3 Penn (17-12) 1:30 PM

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Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference — Atlantic City, NJ

CHAMPIONSHIP (ESPNU) 7:30 PM

#1 Iona (26-7) vs. #11 Marist (13-19)

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Mid-American Conference — Cleveland

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPN2) 7:30 PM

#1 Toledo (27-6) vs. #2 Kent St. (27-6)

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Mideastern Athletic Conference — Norfolk, VA

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPN+) 1 PM

#1 Howard (20-12) vs. #3 Norfolk St. (22-10)

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Mountain West Conference — Las Vegas

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (CBS) 6 PM

#1 San Diego St. (26-6) vs. #3 Utah St. (26-7)

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Pac-12 Conference — Las Vegas

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPN) 10:30 PM

#1 UCLA (29-4) vs. #2 Arizona (27-6)

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Southeastern Conference — Nashville

Semifinals (ESPN)

#1 Alabama (27-5) vs. #4 Missouri (24-8) 2 PM

#2 Texas A&M (24-8) vs. #6 Vanderbilt (20-13) 4 PM

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Southwestern Athletic Conference — Birmingham, AL

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPNU) 5:30 PM

#2 Grambling (24-8) vs. #8 Texas Southern (13-20)

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Western Athletic Conference — Las Vegas

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPN2) 11:30 PM

#3 Southern Utah (22-11) vs. #5 Grand Canyon (23-11)

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Dance Tickets Punched

Atlantic Sun: Kennesaw St.

Big Sky: Montana St.

Big South: UNC Asheville

Colonial: Charleston

Horizon: Northern Kentucky

Missouri Valley: Drake

Northeast: Fairleigh Dickinson

Ohio Valley: SE Missouri St.

Patriot: Colgate

Southern: Furman

Southland: Texas A&M-CC

Summit: Oral Roberts

Sun Belt: Louisiana

West Coast: Gonzaga

PiRate Ratings Conference Tournament Schedules

Friday, March 10, 2023 All Times Eastern Standard

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American Athletic Conference — Fort Worth, TX

Quarterfinals

#1 Houston (29-2) vs. #9 East Carolina (16-16) 1 PM (ESPN2)

#4 Cincinnati (20-11) vs. #5 Temple (16-15) 3 PM (ESPN2)

#2 Memphis (23-8) vs. #7 Central Florida (18-13) 7 PM (ESPNU)

#3 Tulane (19-10) vs. #6 Wichita St. (17-14) 9 PM (ESPNU)

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Atlantic Coast Conference — Greensboro, NC

Semifinals (ESPN2)

#1 Miami (Fla) (25-6) vs. #4 Duke (24-8) 7 PM

#2 Virginia (24-6) vs. #3 Clemson (23-9) 9:30 PM

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Big East Conference — New York

Semifinals (FS1)

#1 Marquette (26-6) vs. #4 Connecticut (25-7) 6:30 PM

#2 Xavier (24-8) vs. #3 Creighton (21-11) 9 PM

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Big Ten Conference — Chicago

Quarterfinals (Big Ten Network)

#1 Purdue (26-5) vs. #9 Rutgers (19-13) 12 PM

#4 Michigan St. (19-11) vs. #13 Ohio St. (15-18) 2:30 PM

#2 Northwestern (21-10) vs. #10 Penn St. (20-12) 6:30 PM

#3 Indiana (21-10) vs/ #6 Maryland (21-11) 9 PM

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Big West Conference — Henderson, NV (Las Vegas)

Semifinals

#1 UC-Irvine (23-10) vs. #4 Cal St. Fullerton (19-12) 9 PM (ESPN+)

#2 UC Santa Barbara (25-7) vs. #3 UC Riverside (22-11) 11:30 PM (ESPNU)

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Conference USA — Frisco, TX

Semifinals (CBSSN)

#1 Florida Atlantic (29-3) vs. #5 Middle Tennessee (19-13) 12:30 PM

#2 North Texas (26-6) vs. #3 UAB (24-8) 3 PM

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Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference — Atlantic City, NJ

Semifinals (ESPNews)

#1 Iona (25-7) vs. #5 Niagara (16-14) 6 PM

#10 Saint Peter’s (14-17) vs. #11 Marist (12-19) 8:30 PM

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Mid-American Conference — Cleveland

Semifinals (CBSSN)

#1 Toledo (26-6) vs. #5 Ohio U (19-13) 5 PM

#2 Kent St. (26-6) vs. #3 Akron (22-10) 7:30 PM

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Mideastern Athletic Conference — Norfolk, VA

Semifinals (ESPN+)

#1 Howard (20-12) vs. #4 Maryland Eastern Shore (18-12) 6 PM

#2 North Carolina Central (18-11) vs. #3 Norfolk St. (21-10) 8:30 PM

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Mountain West Conference — Las Vegas

Semifinals (CBSSN)

#1 San Diego St. (25-6) vs. #5 San Jose St. (20-12) 9:30 PM

#2 Boise St. (24-8) vs. #3 Utah St. (25-7) 12 AM

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Pac-12 Conference — Las Vegas

Semifinals

#1 UCLA (28-4) vs. #4 Oregon (19-13) 9 PM (Pac-12 Network)

#2 Arizona (26-6) vs. #3 Arizona St. (22-11) 11:30 PM (ESPN)

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Southeastern Conference — Nashville

Quarterfinals

#1 Alabama (26-5) vs. #9 Mississippi St. (21-11) 1 PM (ESPN)

#4 Missouri (23-8) vs. #5 Tennessee (23-9) 3 PM (ESPN)

#2 Texas A&M (23-8) vs. #7 Arkansas (19-13) (SEC Network)

#3 Kentucky (21-10) vs. #6 Vanderbilt (19-13) (SEC Network)

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Southwestern Athletic Conference — Birmingham, AL

Semifinals (ESPN+)

#5 Alabama A&M (15-17) vs. #8 Texas Southern (12-20) 3 PM

#2 Grambling (23-8) vs. #3 Jackson St. (14-18) 9:30 PM

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Western Athletic Conference — Las Vegas

Semifinals (ESPN+)

#1 Sam Houston St. (25-6) vs. #5 Grand Canyon (22-11) 9 PM

#2 Utah Valley (25-7) vs. #3 Southern Utah (21-11) 11 PM

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Dance Tickets Punched

Atlantic Sun: Kennesaw St.

Big Sky: Montana St.

Big South: UNC Asheville

Colonial: Charleston

Horizon: Northern Kentucky

Missouri Valley: Drake

Northeast: Fairleigh Dickinson

Ohio Valley: SE Missouri St.

Patriot: Colgate

Southern: Furman

Southland: Texas A&M-CC

Summit: Oral Roberts

Sun Belt: Louisiana

West Coast: Gonzaga

PiRate Ratings Conference Tournament Schedule

Thursday, March 9, 2023 — All Times Eastern Standard

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American Athletic Conference — Fort Worth, TX

1st Round (ESPNU)

#8 South Florida (14-17) vs. #9 East Carolina (15-16) 12:30 PM

#7 Central Florida (17-13) vs. #10 SMU (10-21) 2:30 PM

#6 Wichita St. (16-14) vs. #11 Tulsa (5-24) 7 PM

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Atlantic 10 Conference — Brooklyn

Quarterfinals (USA Network)

#1 VCU (24-7) vs. #8 Davidson (16-15) 11:30 AM

#4 Saint Louis (20-11) vs. #5 George Mason (20-12) 2 PM

#2 Dayton (20-11) vs. #10 Saint Joseph’s (16-16) 5 PM

#3 Fordham (24-7) vs. #11 La Salle (15-18) 7:30 PM

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Atlantic Coast Conference — Greensboro, NC

Quarterfinals (ESPN or ESPN2)

#1 Miami (Fla) (24-6) vs. #9 Wake Forest (19-13) 12 PM

#4 Duke (23-8) vs. #5 Pittsburgh (22-10) 2:30 PM

#2 Virginia (23-6) vs. #7 North Carolina (20-12) 7 PM

#3 Clemson (22-9) vs. #6 North Carolina St. (23-9) 9:30 PM

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Big 12 Conference — Kansas City

Quarterfinals (ESPN or ESPN2)

#4 Baylor (22-9) vs. #5 Iowa St. (18-12) 1:30 PM

#1 Kansas (25-6) vs. #8 West Virginia (19-13) 4 PM

#2 Texas (23-8) vs. #7 Oklahoma St. (17-14) 8 PM

#3 Kansas St. (23-8) vs. #6 TCU (20-11) 10:30 PM

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Big East Conference — New York

Quarterfinals (FS1)

#1 Marquette (25-6) vs. #8 St. John’s (18-14) 12 PM

#4 Connecticut (24-7) vs. #5 Providence (21-10) 2:30 PM

#2 Xavier (23-8) vs. #10 DePaul (10-22) 7 PM

#3 Creighton (20-11) vs. #6 Vilanova (17-15) 9:30 PM

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Big Ten Conference — Chicago

2nd Round (Big Ten Network)

#8 Michigan (17-14) vs. #9 Rutgers (18-13) 1 PM

#5 Iowa (19-12) vs. #13 Ohio St. (15-18) 3:30 PM

#7 Illinois (20-11) vs. #10 Penn St. (19-12) 7:30 PM

#6 Maryland (20-11) vs. #14 Minnesota (9-21) 10 PM

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Big West Conference — Henderson, NV (Las Vegas)

Quarterfinals (ESPN+)

#1 UC-Irvine (22-10) vs. #8 Cal St. Bakersfield (11-21) 3 PM

#4 Cal St. Fullerton (18-12) vs. #5 Hawaii (22-10) 5:30 PM

#2 UC Santa Barbara (24-7) vs. #10 Cal Poly (8-24) 9 PM

#3 UC Riverside (21-11) vs. #6 Cal Davis (18-13) 11:30 PM

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Conference USA — Frisco, TX

Quarterfinals (ESPN+)

#1 Florida Atlantic (28-3) vs. #8 Western Kentucky (17-15) 7:30 PM

#4 Middle Tennessee (18-13) vs. #5 Charlotte (18-13) 8 PM

#2 North Texas (25-6) vs. #10 Louisiana Tech (15-17) 10 PM

#3 UAB (23-8) vs. #6 Rice (18-14) 10:30 PM

Tournament uses two courts separated by giant curtain

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Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference — Atlantic City, NJ

Quarterfinals (Day 2) (ESPN+)

#3 Quinnipiac (20-11) vs. #11 Marist (11-19) 7 PM

#4 Siena (17-14) vs. #5 Niagara (15-14) 9:30 PM

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Mid-American Conference — Cleveland

Quarterfinals (ESPN+)

#1 Toledo (25-6) vs. #8 Miami (O) (12-19) 11 AM

#4 Ball St. (20-11) vs. #5 Ohio U (18-13) 1:30 PM

#2 Kent St. (25-6) vs. #7 Northern Illinois (13-18) 4PM

#3 Akron (21-10) vs. #6 Buffalo (15-16) 6:30 PM

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Mideastern Athletic Conference — Norfolk, VA

Quarterfinals (Day 2) (ESPN+)

#4 Maryland Eastern Shore (17-12) vs. #5 Morgan St. (15-15) 6 PM

#3 Norfolk St. (20-10) vs. #6 Coppin St. (9-22) 8 PM

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Mountain West Conference — Las Vegas

Quarterfinals (CBSSN)

#1 San Diego St. (24-6) vs. #8 Colorado St. (15-17) 3 PM

#4 Nevada (22-9) vs. #5 San Jose St. (19-12) 5:30 PM

#2 Boise St. (23-8) vs. #7 UNLV (19-12) 9 PM

#3 Utah St. (24-7) vs. #6 New Mexico (22-10) 11:30 PM

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Pac-12 Conference — Las Vegas

Quarterfinals (1st 3 games Pac-12 Network/Game 4 ESPN)

#1 UCLA (27-4) vs. #9 Colorado (17-15) 3 PM

#4 Oregon (18-13) vs. #5 Washington St. (17-15) 5:30 PM

#2 Arizona (25-6) vs. #10 Stanford (14-18) 9 PM

#3 USC (22-9) vs. #6 Arizona St. (22-9) 11:30 PM

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Southeastern Conference — Nashville

Quarterfinals (SEC Network)

#8 Florida (16-15) vs. #9 Mississippi St. (20-11) 1 PM

#5 Tennessee (22-9) vs. #13 Ole Miss (12-20) 3 PM

#7 Auburn (20-11) vs. #10 Arkansas (19-12) 7 PM

#6 Vanderbilt (18-13) vs. #14 LSU (15-18) 9 PM

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Southwestern Athletic Conference — Birmingham, AL

Quarterfinals (Day 2) (ESPN+)

#3 Jackson St. (13-18) vs. #6 Prairie View A&M (13-18) 9:30 PM

#4 Southern (15-16) vs. #5 Alabama A&M (14-17) 3 PM

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Western Athletic Conference — Las Vegas

Quarterfinals (ESPN+)

#1 Sam Houston St. (24-6) vs. #8 Cal Baptist (17-15) 3 PM

#4 Seattle (20-11) vs. #5 Grand Canyon (21-11) 5:30 PM

#2 Utah Valley (24-7) vs. #7 Tarleton St. (17-15) 9 PM

#3 Southern Utah (20-11) vs. #11 Utah Tech (14-18) 11:30 PM

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Automatic Qualifiers

Atlantic Sun: Kennesaw St.

Big Sky: Montana St.

Big South: UNC Asheville

Colonial: Charleston

Horizon: Northern Kentucky

Missouri Valley: Drake

Northeast: Fairleigh Dickinson

Ohio Valley: SE Missouri St.

Patriot: Colgate

Southern: Furman

Southland: Texas A&M-CC

Summit: Oral Roberts

Sun Belt: Louisiana

West Coast: Gonzaga

PiRate Ratings Conference Tournament Schedule

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

All Times Eastern Standard

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Atlantic 10 Conference – Brooklyn

2nd Round (USA Network)

#8 Davidson (15-15) vs. #9 St. Bonaventure (14-17)  11:30 AM

#5 George Mason (19-12) vs. #12 Richmond (15-17)  2 PM

#7 George Washington (16-15) vs. #10 Saint Joseph’s (15-16)  5 PM

#6 Duquesne (20-11) vs. #11 La Salle (14-18)  7:30 PM

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Atlantic Coast Conference — Greensboro, NC

2nd Round

#8 Syracuse (17-14) vs. #9 Wake Forest (18-13)  12 PM (ESPN)

#5 Pittsburgh (21-10) vs. #13 Georgia Tech (15-17)  2:30 PM (ESPN)

#7 North Carolina (19-12) vs. #10 Boston College (16-16) 7 PM (ESPN2/ESPNU)

#6 North Carolina St. (22-9) vs. #11 Virginia Tech (19-13) 9:30 PM (ESPN2/ESPNU)

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Big 12 Conference – Kansas City

1st Round

#8 West Virginia (18-13) vs. #9 Texas Tech (16-15)  7 PM (ESPN2/U)

#7 Oklahoma St. (17-14) vs. #10 Oklahoma (15-16) 9:30 PM (ESPN2/U)

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Big East Conference – New York

1st Round (FS1)

#8 St. John’s (17-14) vs. #9 Butler (14-17)  3 PM

#7 Seton Hall (17-14) vs. #10 DePaul (9-22)  5:30 PM

#6 Villanova (16-15) vs. #11 Georgetown (7-24) 8 PM

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Big Sky Conference – Boise, ID

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPN2)

#2 Montana St. (24-9) vs. #9 Northern Arizona (12-22) 11:30 PM

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Big Ten Conference — Chicago

1st Round (Big Ten Network)

#12 Wisconsin (17-13) vs. #13 Ohio St. (13-18)  6:30 PM

#11 Nebraska (16-15) vs. #14 Minnesota (8-21)  9 PM

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Conference USA – Frisco, TX

1st Round (ESPN+)

#8 Western Kentucky (16-15) vs. #9 UTEP (14-17)  6:30 PM

#7 Florida Intl. (14-17) vs. #10 Louisiana Tech (14-17) 9 PM

#6 Rice (17-14) vs. #11 UTSA (10-21) 9:30 PM

CUSA uses a 2-court setup where two games can be played simultaneously

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Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Atlantic City, NJ

Quarterfinals Day 1 (ESPN+)

#1 Iona (24-7) vs. #8 Mount St. Mary’s (13-19) 7 PM

#2 Rider (16-13) vs. #11 Marist (13-19)  9:30 PM

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Mideastern Athletic Conference – Norfolk, VA

Quarterfinals Day 1 (ESPN+)

#1 Howard (19-12) vs. #8 South Carolina St. (5-25)  6 PM

#2 UNC Central (17-11) vs. #7 Delaware St. (6-23) 8 PM

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Mountain West Conference – Las Vegas

1st Round (Mountain West Network)

#8 Colorado St. (14-17) vs. #9 Fresno St. (11-19)  2 PM

#7 UNLV (18-12) vs. #10 Air Force (14-17)  4:30 PM

#6 New Mexico (21-10) vs. #11 Wyoming (9-21)  7 PM

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Pac-12 Conference – Las Vegas

1st Round (Pac 12 Network)

#8 Washington (16-15) vs. #9 Colorado (16-15)  3 PM

#5 Washington St. (16-15) vs. #12 California (3-28)  5:30 PM

#7 Utah (17-14) vs. #10 Stanford (13-18)  9 PM

#6 Arizona St. (20-11) vs. #11 Oregon St. (11-20)  11:30 PM

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Patriot League – Colgate Hosts

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (CBSSN)

#1 Colgate (25-8) vs. #6 Lafayette (11-22)  7:30 PM

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Southeastern Conference – Nashville

1st Round (SEC Network)

#12 South Carolina (11-20) vs. #13 Ole Miss (11-20) 7 PM

#11 Georgia (16-15) vs. #14 LSU (13-18)  9 PM

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Southland Conference – Lake Charles, LA

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (ESPN2)

#1 Texas A&M-CC (22-10) vs. #2 Northwestern St. (22-10)  5 PM

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Southwestern Athletic Conference – Birmingham, AL

Quarterfinals Day 1 (ESPN+)

#2 Grambling (22-8) vs. #7 Bethune Cookman (12-19)  3 PM

#1 Alcorn St. (18-12) vs. #8 Texas Southern (11-20) 9:30 PM

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Still to Come: Updated Bracketology

The PiRates Are Leaving The Port For 2022-23

It’s Football Time In Tennessee! Actually it’s football time everywhere, but when you live in the Volunteer State and spent 30+ years listening to the radio play-by-play GOAT, John Ward, say that phrase 11 or 12 times a season, it becomes the adrenaline boosting tagline to put one in the mood for “THE SPORT” that matters.

College football as we know it has reached the dawn of evolutionary change. Massive restructuring of the game is forthcoming, and some of that change will be apparent this season, as the Sun Belt Conference has more teams at the expense of Conference USA. With Texas and Oklahoma possibly becoming SEC members as early as next season, and USC and UCLA making the move to the Big Ten, there are a couple more major dominoes that could fall and send the conventional football alignment falling en masse.

I have tried to stay in the loop with more than a dozen insider contacts developed from my years in sports journalism in radio, TV, and in print. There are many differing opinions about what could happen and what they have heard is in the works. However, nearly every one of them agree on one thing: everything is in a holding pattern concerning the move beyond 16 teams in the Big Ten and SEC, until Notre Dame learns what their potential media contract will be and what the Big Ten media contract will be.

Notre Dame is getting $22 million from NBC and $12 million from the ACC. Next year, the final year of that contract with NBC, it will rise by $2.5 million. The Big Ten is being rumored to distribute possibly $1.2 billion in media revenue share. Notre Dame is seeking $75 million a year from NBC to renew the contract. If the offer is not in that ballpark, the Irish are likely to bite the bullet and join the Big Ten. One or two Southern insiders believes Notre Dame has not completely eliminated the possibility of seeking SEC membership, but my Midwest contacts say that their fan base will demand Big Ten membership so that travel will be minimized.

Let me address something else that has come to my attention. In various ways, I receive comments from others asking what I think about the big conferences forcing the small private schools out of their leagues. It usually goes something like, “Why does the SEC allow Vanderbilt to remain in the conference, when they sponge millions of dollars and don’t contribute much to the total pot?”

Three private schools have departed the SEC through the last eight decades. Sewanee, Georgia Tech, and Tulane left on their own account. Tech and Tulane would gladly return to the league today if they could. Vandy is not leaving the SEC, and the SEC is not kicking the Commodores out either. Even though all this realignment and expansion is 100% about football, and Vanderbilt football is basically a perpetual expansion team, their value to the conference comes in multiple essential ways. First, the league now considers Nashville their most essential city in their footprint. The 2023 Football Media Days will relocate from Atlanta to the Music City. The league’s annual postseason men’s basketball tournament is under contract for Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for many years to come. Yes, the Tennessee Vols are the top college team in the city, but Knoxville is 185 miles to the east.

There is another major reason that every conference wants to have a private school as a member. When every conference member is a public institution, then the entire league is subject to open records laws. With just one private school in the league, that school closes those records. The SEC isn’t going to give up their covert operating methods.

Now for the real reason that 99% of you come to this site to read. Beginning Tuesday, August 9, 2022, the annual PiRate Ratings’ Conference Previews will begin posting here one league at a time, debuting in order of lowest-ranked conference to highest-ranked conference.

Here is the schedule for each preview:

August 9: Conference USA

August 10: Mid-American Conference

August 11: Sun Belt Conference

August 12: Mountain West Conference

August 13: FBS Independents

August 14: American Athletic Conference

August 15: Pac-12 Conference

August 16: Atlantic Coast Conference

August 17: Big 12 Conference

August 18: Big Ten Conference

August 19: Southeastern Conference

SEC PiRate Football Game

Hello out there to all the Southeastern Conference football fans. The long-awaited SEC 1960-1979 edition of the PiRate College Football Game is now on sale.

To order the game, go to: https://pirate-football.square.site/

Do you want to coach one of these teams?

1973 Alabama: The Tide offense rolled on the ground with their wishbone clicking on all cylinders, but the incredible passing game that led the nation in yards per completion and per attempt with Richard Todd and Gary Rutledge directing the attack, made this offense close to unstoppable.

1970 Auburn: Pat Sullivan really earned his Heisman Trophy in his junior year with much better overall passing stats than the following season when he actually got the award. Sullivan to Terry Beasley put a lot of touchdowns on the board.

1966 Florida: Steve Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy, while powerful running back Larry Smith kept defenses honest. Spurrier also punted and occasionally booted some field goals, including one important one that probably cemented his winning trip to the Downtown Athletic Club.

1971 Georgia: Local high school star Andy Johnson chose to stay home for college, and he ran the veer offense about as competently as any QB in the history of college football. Georgia didn’t pass a lot, but they moved the ball on the ground and ate the clock. The Junkyard Dog defense was tough against the run, especially plays run wide.

1977 Kentucky: The last Division 1 college team to run a full-house T-formation offense as their principal alignment, this Wildcats’ team played power football with strong-running QB Derrick Ramsey rolling out and usually keeping the ball. The defense was the real star of the show, as Art Still made life miserable for the other team’s QB.

1961 LSU: Coach Paul Dietzel believed this team was actually more talented than his 1958 national champions, but unfortunately, LSU didn’t play Alabama this year, and the two rivals split the SEC Championship.

1962 Ole Miss: Johnny Vaught was a legend in the quarter century following WWII. His teams were noted for wide open offense and a defense that limited the other team from having big plays. This was his lone undefeated and untied squad, and this Rebels’ team picked up a couple of national championship awards.

1963 Mississippi State: The Bulldogs’ defense was near the top in the nation in points and yards allowed, even though their schedule was also among the toughest in the nation. The Maroon Bullies upset a top-5 Auburn team and tied SEC Champion Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, before winning the last Liberty Bowl game played in Philadelphia.

1970 Tennessee: The Vols went 11-1 including a shutout win over Alabama and a blowout win i the Sugar Bowl over Air Force. This team intercepted an incredible 36 passes to lead the nation by far.

1974 Vanderbilt: Former Alabama QB Steve Sloan came to Vandy and immediately turned the program around, going 7-3-2 in his second year in Nashville and fielding the number one offense in the SEC. Vandy’s big win in 1974 was a thrashing of undefeated and #5 Florida.

Sunday Morning From The Hull

This early Sunday morning on the PiRate ship, we are hunkered down in the hull with a spreadsheet full of numbers. After New Mexico State, Arizona, and Cal St. Fullerton enjoyed late night trophy raisings in Las Vegas, we added the updated numbers to our Bracketology and narrowed the field of hopefuls down to 70 and then realized we had one more team that maybe should not have been sent to the SS NIT and one team that maybe shouldn’t be considered a lock for the Dance. So, we are sitting at 72 teams this morning. There are six teams at the bottom of the Bubble, and three of them will be happy around 6:30 PM EDT, while three will have to settle for a possible trip to the flowerless garden in the Big Apple rather than the Garden District in the Crescent City.

The six bubblers this morning (in alphabetical order) are: Rutgers, SMU, Texas A&M, Xavier, Wake Forest, and Wyoming. Let us add the last potential bid-stealer to this formula. If Richmond upsets Davidson today in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Game, the Spiders will receive an automatic bid, while Davidson receives an at-large invitation. That will reduce one spot at the bottom of the Bubble. Additionally, if Texas A&M upsets Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, the Aggies will move ahead of the Last Four in, as they would be guaranteed immunity from going to Dayton early next week. That would then take a team that currently has a bye and drop them into First Four purgatory.

By 3:00 PM EDT, we will know whether Richmond secured a spot in the Field of 68 and if Texas A&M is either an automatic bid-earner or Bubble team in the last decisions to be made. One of our fine Buckaroo lasses then pointed out that the outcome of the American Athletic Conference Championship Game between Houston and Memphis could affect the resume of SMU. A Memphis win might drag the Mustangs along in the Tiger draft. Additionally, the Iowa-Purdue Big Ten Championship Game tips off after 3:00 PM EDT, and both teams’ seed line could move one spot from this game. A Purdue loss and a Tennessee win could see the Boilermakers and Vols switching spots on the seed line. Iowa could possibly jump up one spot with a win, especially if Houston loses today.

Therefore, our final Bracketology prediction will go live only once the outcomes of the last two games are known. If both games are blowouts, we will go ahead and publish the final prediction before the games end. If either game is undecided until the closing minutes, then expect our final Bracketology to go live within 10 minutes of the final horn.

Coming Monday afternoon (Eastern Time Zone), our first installment of Bracketnomics for the 2022 NCAA Tournament will post here. This will be the explanation for how to go about picking your brackets using analytics that have been back-tested for maximum accuracy. We cannot guarantee you will win your bracket-picking contests, but we have a history of many of our subscribers doing that over the two decades this page has existed. And, you cannot beat the price of this information–only the time it takes you to read it.

There is one small warning for this year: Using the criteria we rely on, there is way too much parity in this forthcoming tournament. Usually, five to eight teams have Final Four worthy resumes. As of this morning, only two teams have such wonders. That means that two teams that do not have Final Four resumes are guaranteed to make this year’s Final Four. It also means that a team like Connecticut in both 2011 and 2014 might be poised to make a run to the National Championship Game, and it is a much higher probability that a Mid-Major makes the Final Four like Loyola, Wichita State, Virginia Commonwealth, Butler, and George Mason have done in this Century and Indiana State and Penn did in 1979. If you are wondering when was the last time a team from outside of a power conference actually won the tournament, it was UNLV in 1990, 32 years ago. Gonzaga has come close twice, losing in the final game to North Carolina and to Baylor. Butler came within a final shot rolling on the rim and falling off of winning against Duke.

This shapes up to be a very exciting NCAA Tournament this year. There will be a lot of interesting story lines, so today, we are informing you that you probably feel a bit off. By Thursday morning, you just won’t be able to get up and going, and you will have to call in sick to work with a 48-hour bug, forcing you to take sick days on Thursday and Friday. Being self-employed or a member of sports media through the years, I was fortunate not to have to get Madness Fever.

Today’s Conference Tournament Schedule

All Times Eastern Daylight

12:00 PM on ESPN2: Ivy League Championship Game

Princeton vs. Yale

1:00 PM on ESPN: Southeastern Conference Championship Game

Tennessee vs. Texas A&M

1:00 PM on CBS: Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Game

Davidson vs. Richmond

3:15 PM on ESPN: Conference USA Championship Game

Houston vs. Memphis

3:30 PM on CBS: Big Ten Conference Championship Game

Iowa vs. Purdue

6:00 PM on CBS: Selection Sunday Show

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Saturday, March 12, 2022

Saturday’s Conference Tournaments
America East Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Higher Seed at Home
Home	Visitor	Spread
Vermont	Maryland Baltimore Co.	14.3
American Athletic Conference–Semifinals
Fort Worth, TX
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Houston	Tulane	12.5
SMU	Memphis	-2.7
Atlantic 10 Conference–Semifinals
Washington, D.C.
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Davidson	Saint Louis	0.2
Dayton	Richmond	2.1
Atlantic Coast Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Brooklyn
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Duke	Virginia Tech	5.6
Big 12 Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Kansas City
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Kansas	Texas Tech	1.1
Big East Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
New York
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Villanova	Creighton	7.2
Big Sky Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Boise, ID
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Montana St.	Northern Colorado	3.4
Big Ten Conference–Semifinals
Indianapolis
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Iowa	Indiana	5.6
Purdue	Michigan St.	5.4
Big West Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Henderson, NV
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Long Beach St.	Cal St. Fullerton	-0.5
Conference USA–CHAMPIONSHIP
Frisco, TX
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
UAB	Louisiana Tech	4.8
Ivy League–Semifinals
Boston
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Princeton	Cornell	5.8
Yale	Penn	3.6
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Atlantic City, NJ
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Saint Peter’s	Monmouth	1.8
Mid-American Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Cleveland
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Kent St.	Akron	0.4
Mideastern Athletic Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Norfolk, VA
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Norfolk St.	Coppin St.	8.1
Mountain West Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Las Vegas
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Boise St.	San Diego St.	-1.4
Pac-12 Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Las Vegas
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Arizona	UCLA	2.5
Southeastern Conference–Semifinals
Tampa
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Arkansas	Texas A&M	5.3
Tennessee	Kentucky	-1.8
Southland Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Katy, TX
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Southeast Louisiana	Texas A&M-CC	-1.6
Southwestern Athletic Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Birmingham
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Texas Southern	Alcorn St.	4.5
Western Athletic Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Las Vegas
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
New Mexico St.	Abilene Christian	3.1

Dance Tickets Punched
1	Murray St.	Ohio Valley	27-2
2	Longwood	Big South	26-6
3	Loyola (Chi.)	Missouri Valley	25-7
4	Chattanooga	Southern	27-7
5	Georgia St.	Sun Belt	18-10
6	Jacksonville St.	Atlantic Sun	21-10
7	Bryant	Northeast	22-9
8	Delaware	Colonial Athletic	22-12
9	Wright St.	Horizon	21-13
10	South Dakota St.	Summit	30-4
11	Gonzaga	West Coast	26-3
12	Colgate	Patriot	23-11

Hunkered Down In The Hull

The PiRates have had their tea and bickies and swabbed the deck. It’s time to head down to the hull and hunker down with typical PiRate ship tools. We have no torpedos and no swords. Our weapons are power ratings, strengths of schedule, quad ratings, and strengths of record. We will be carefully perusing the field to see which team to pillage and which team to let pass into the Dancing waters.

The Florida Gators have been scuttled and sunk to the bottom where they have met the sandy silt known as NIT. Texas A&M just might pass through if the Aggies can fire more shots at the SS Razorback today then they take on.

With a late Winter storm plunging most of the Eastern half of the nation back into January-like weather, this is a good day to stay indoors and watch teams qualify for the Big Dance. We will be looking at a lot of Bubble teams as well as teams that can greatly alter our Bracketology.

Our final Bracketology prediction will be published here tomorrow afternoon. Depending on the games to be played after 1 PM EDT (yes, remember it will be D and not S tomorrow), we may have to have two different brackets prepared and waiting to use one over the other depending on the outcome of the final games. Fortunately, almost all the Cinderella teams that could only get into the Field of 68 by qualifying automatically lost yesterday. Colorado, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Cincinnati, and Central Florida helped teams like Wake Forest, BYU, and Xavier feel a little better when they bowed out of their tournaments. Indiana probably worked their way into the field by topping Michigan and Illinois, so the Hoosiers can win or lose today and tomorrow and not change the teams getting bids.

There are still some potential bid-stealers where the top seed could lose and still get an at-large bid, but if the top seed wins, the conference in question will not receive the extra bid. In the Atlantic 10, Davidson is now a lock to make the field without winning their tournament. If Saint Louis wins today, or if today’s Richmond-Dayton winner beats Davidson tomorrow, the A-10 will get one extra team in the field, and one bubble will burst. In the American Athletic, should Tulane upset Houston today and then beat the winner of today’s SMU-Memphis game, the AAC will receive an extra bid, and another bubble will burst. If Tulane is put out of the tournament today, then the only game that will affect the 68 teams tomorrow would be the A-10 Championship Game. That game should end between 2:45 and 3:00 PM EDT, so our final projections should publish soon after the conclusion of that game and possibly earlier if this game is a blowout.

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Friday, March 11, 2022

Friday’s Conference Tournament Games
American Athletic Conference–Quarterfinals
Fort Worth, TX
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Houston	Cincinnati	12.2
Temple	Tulane	-1.8
SMU	Tulsa	8.5
Memphis	Central Florida	7.1
Atlantic 10 Conference–Quarterfinals
Washington, D.C.
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Davidson	Fordham	10.0
St. Bonaventure	Saint Louis	-1.9
Dayton	Massachusetts	9.8
VCU	Richmond	2.7
Atlantic Coast Conference–Semfinals
Brooklyn
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Duke	Miami (Fla.)	9.0
North Carolina	Virginia Tech	0.9
Big 12 Conference Semifinals
Kansas City
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Kansas	TCU	7.9
Texas Tech	Oklahoma	6.2
Big East Conference–Semifinals
New York
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Providence	Creighton	2.3
Villanova	Connecticut	2.5
Big Sky Conference–Semifinals
Boise, ID
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Montana St.	Weber St.	1.0
Northern Colorado	Portland St.	2.4
Big Ten Conference–Quarterfinals
Indianapolis
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Illinois	Indiana	3.9
Rutgers	Iowa	-8.8
Wisconsin	Michigan St.	0.2
Purdue	Penn St.	9.4
Big West Conference–Semifinals
Henderson, NV
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Long Beach St.	UCSB	-2.8
Hawaii	Cal St. Fullerton	0.4
Conference USA–Semifinals
Frisco, TX
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
North Texas	Louisiana Tech	3.4
Middle Tennessee	UAB	-6.6
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference–Semifinals
Atlantic City, NJ
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Monmouth	Rider	4.6
St. Peter’s	Quinnipiac	6.4
Mid-American Conference–Semifinals
Cleveland
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Toledo	Akron	6.3
Kent St.	Ohio	-1.5
Mideastern Athletic Conference–Semifinals
Norfolk, VA
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Norfolk St.	Morgan St.	6.9
UNC Central	Coppin St.	1.9
Mountain West Conference–Semifinals
Las Vegas
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Boise St.	Wyoming	2.2
Colorado St.	San Diego St.	-1.4
Pac-12 Conference–Semifinals
Las Vegas
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Arizona	Colorado	11.8
UCLA	USC	6.5
Southeastern Conference–Quarterfinals
Tampa
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Auburn	Texas A&M	9.2
Arkansas	LSU	-0.2
Tennessee	Mississippi St.	6.8
Kentucky	Vanderbilt	10.9
Southland Conference–Semifinals
Katy, TX
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Nicholls St.	Texas A&M–CC	3.8
Southeast Louisiana	New Orleans	-1.6
Southwestern Athletic Conference–Semifinals
Birmingham
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Alcorn St.	Alabama A&M	4.6
Texas Southern	Grambling	6.9
Western Athletic Conference–Semifinals
Las Vegas
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
New Mexico St.	Grand Canyon	0.5
Seattle	Abilene Christian	-0.9

Dance Tickets Punched
1	Murray St.	Ohio Valley	27-2
2	Longwood	Big South	26-6
3	Loyola (Chi.)	Missouri Valley	25-7
4	Chattanooga	Southern	27-7
5	Georgia St.	Sun Belt	18-10
6	Jacksonville St.	Atlantic Sun	21-10
7	Bryant	Northeast	22-9
8	Delaware	Colonial Athletic	22-12
9	Wright St.	Horizon	21-13
10	South Dakota St.	Summit	30-4
11	Gonzaga	West Coast	26-3
12	Colgate	Patriot	23-11