NFL Ratings And Spreads For Week 17: January 1, 2017

Not Much Left To Be Decided
Week 16’s results greatly reduced the importance of the season’s final week. 10 of the 12 playoff spots have been earned already, and from the remaining spots left to be awarded, just three teams will vie for them.

AFC
We know that New England, Oakland, PIttsburgh, Houston, Kansas City, and Miami will be the six conference teams in the playoffs, but there is still some work to be done to determine the exact seeding. It is not that hard at this point.

New England holds the key to home field advantage to the Super Bowl. If the Patriots win this weekend against Miami, they secure the #1 seed. If Oakland loses to Denver, then the Pats also would get the top seed, win or lose.

Oakland can still earn the top seed if the Raiders (sans QB Derek Carr) beat Denver, and Miami beats New England. If Oakland and New England both win, the Raiders will be the #2 seed.

Pittsburgh has clinched the #3 seed and will host the #6 seed wildcard team, no matter what happens this weekend.

Houston has clinched the #4 seed and will host the #5 seed wildcard team, no matter what happens this weekend.

In the West, if Kansas City wins at San Diego, and Oakland loses to Denver, then the Chiefs will win the division, claim the #2 seed, and earn a bye to the divisional playoff round, while Oakland drops to the #5 seed.

If Kansas City and Oakland both win, then Oakland wins the division and first round bye, while KC becomes the #5 Seed. If Kansas City loses, and Miami wins over New England, then the Dolphins jump over KC for the #5 seed, pushing the Chiefs back to #6. A Chiefs win or Dolphins loss would leave Miami as the #6 seed.

NFC
Dallas has clinched the top seed overall and will enjoy a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs. Their finale against Philadelphia is meaningless, so Tony Romo could get to see action this weekend.

The leader for the #2 seed and first round bye going into Week 17 is Atlanta. If the Falcons beat New Orleans, they clinch the bye. If Atlanta loses, and Seattle bests San Francisco, the Seahawks would then elevate to the #2 seed. Additionally, if thr Falcons lose, and Detroit beats Green Bay, Atlanta would fall to #4 seed, while the Lions jump to #3.

If both Seattle and Atlanta lose, and then Detroit beats Green Bay, the Lions would move into the #2 seed slot and earn a bye.

Green Bay cannot jump over Atlanta if the Packers beat the Lions, while Atlanta loses to New Orleans, regardless of what Seattle does. The Packers lose all tiebreakers to the Falcons.

As for the last two playoff spots, the Giants have clinched the #5 seed and their game with Washington is meaningless to them. However, it means everything to the Redskins. A Washington win to move to 9-6-1 puts the Redskins in the playoffs over the loser of the Green Bay-Detroit game. If Washington loses this game, then the loser of the Packers-Lions game would back into the #6 Seed.

Here are this week’s PiRate Ratings

Current NFL PiRate Ratings
A F C
East	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Off	Def
New England	111.3	109.8	112.3	111.1	68	43
Buffalo	101.5	101.8	101.7	101.7	63	39
Miami	99.4	99.1	99.9	99.4	60	39
N. Y. Jets	92.3	91.8	92.4	92.2	57	35
North	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Off	Def
Pittsburgh	105.2	104.9	105.7	105.3	63	42
Baltimore	101.0	101.8	100.9	101.2	61	40
Cincinnati	101.2	101.0	101.2	101.2	59	42
Cleveland	88.8	89.6	88.7	89.0	56	33
South	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Off	Def
Indianapolis	100.1	101.4	99.8	100.4	64	36
Houston	97.5	98.1	97.0	97.5	60	38
Tennessee	96.8	97.7	96.5	97.0	59	38
Jacksonville	95.1	96.1	94.9	95.4	60	35
West	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Off	Def
Kansas City	105.5	105.3	106.1	105.6	65	41
Oakland	102.2	102.7	102.9	102.6	67	36
Denver	102.6	102.1	101.8	102.1	60	42
San Diego	97.6	98.6	97.2	97.8	63	35
N F C
East	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Off	Def
Dallas	105.7	105.1	106.2	105.7	64	42
Washington	102.1	101.6	102.2	102.0	62	40
N.Y. Giants	100.0	99.4	100.3	99.9	62	38
Philadelphia	99.9	98.9	99.5	99.4	60	39
North	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Off	Def
Green Bay	103.0	102.7	102.9	102.9	67	36
Minnesota	99.5	99.3	99.1	99.3	57	42
Detroit	99.3	99.1	99.0	99.1	61	38
Chicago	92.8	92.0	92.5	92.5	55	38
South	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Off	Def
Atlanta	108.6	109.1	108.8	108.8	72	37
Carolina	101.5	101.5	101.6	101.5	60	42
New Orleans	101.1	101.6	101.5	101.4	68	33
Tampa Bay	101.3	101.4	101.4	101.4	63	38
West	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Off	Def
Seattle	105.1	103.2	105.5	104.6	63	42
Arizona	102.5	101.7	102.4	102.2	63	39
Los Angeles	92.9	93.7	92.3	93.0	54	39
San Francisco	89.1	90.0	88.6	89.2	55	34

This Week’s PiRate Spreads

Home	Visitor	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Totals
Atlanta	New Orleans	10.5	10.5	10.3	70
Cincinnati	Baltimore	2.2	1.2	2.3	38
Detroit	Green Bay	-0.7	-0.6	-0.9	54
Indianapolis	Jacksonville	7.0	7.3	6.9	63
Miami	New England	-8.9	-7.7	-9.4	48
Minnesota	Chicago	8.7	9.3	8.6	33
New York Jets	Buffalo	-8.2	-9.0	-8.3	47
Philadelphia	Dallas	-1.8	-2.2	-2.7	44
Pittsburgh	Cleveland	17.4	16.3	18.0	45
Tampa Bay	Carolina	0.8	0.9	0.8	44
Tennessee	Houston	0.3	0.6	0.5	44
Washington	New York Giants	5.1	5.2	4.9	46
Denver	Oakland	3.4	2.4	1.9	47
Los Angeles	Arizona	-8.6	-7.0	-9.1	39
San Diego	Kansas City	-6.9	-5.7	-6.9	52
San Francisco	Seattle	-13.0	-10.2	-13.9	44

 

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments Update–Saturday, March 9, 2013

Today’s Conference Tournaments in Action

America East—Quarterfinal Round

Atlantic Sun—Championship Game

Big South—Semifinal Round

Colonial Athletic—Quarterfinal Round

Horizon—Semifinal Round

Metro Atlantic—Quarterfinal Round

Missouri Valley—Semifinal Round

Northeast—Semifinal Round

Ohio Valley—Championship Game

Patriot—Semifinal Round

Southern—Quarterfinal Round

Summit—1^st of two days of Quarterfinal Rounds

Sun Belt Conference—Quarterfinal Round

West Coast—Semifinal Round

 

Note: RPI Ranking is from Monday, March 4.  These will be updated March 11

 

America East Conference

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	Stony Brook	14-2	23-6	71
2	Vermont	11-5	19-10	128
3	Hartford	10-6	17-12	171
4	Albany	9-7	21-10	164
5	Maine	6-10	11-18	273
6	U M B C	5-11	7-22	312
7	N. Hampshire	5-11	9-19	293
8	Binghamton	1-15	3-26	338

 

Conference Tournament—Albany, NY  (Championship Game at Higher Seed)

 

Game #	Day 1 – Quarterfinals	Time	TV
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
1	2-Vermont vs. 7-New Hampshire	12:00 Noon	ESPN3
2	3-Hartford vs. 6-U M B C	2:00 PM	ESPN3
3	1-Stony Brook vs. 8-Binghamton	6:00 PM	ESPN3
4	4-Albany vs. 5-Maine	8:00 PM	ESPN3
	Day 2 – Semifinals
	SUNDAY, MARCH 10
5	Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2	5:00 PM	ESPN3
6	Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4	7:00 PM	ESPN3
	Day 3 –Finals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 16
7	Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6	11:30 AM	ESPN2
	at Higher Seeded Winner’s Home Court

 

Online Site: www.americaeast.com

 

Atlantic Sun Conference

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	Mercer	14-4	23-10	131
2	Florida Gulf Coast	13-5	23-10	109
3	Stetson	11-7	15-16	223
4	SC Upstate	9-9	16-17	228
5	Jacksonville	9-9	14-18	268
6	North Florida	8-10	13-19	220
7	East Tennessee St.	8-10	10-22	263
8	Lipscomb	7-11	12-18	235

 

Conference Tournament—Macon, GA (Mercer)

Game #	Day 1 – Quarterfinals	Time	TV
	WEDNESDAY, MARCH 06, 2013
1	#2 Florida Gulf Coast  73  #7 N. Florida  63
2	#1 Mercer  82  #8 Lipscomb  48
	Day 2 – Quarterfinals
	THURSDAY, MARCH 07, 2013
3	#3 Stetson  67  #6 East Tennessee St.  46
4	#5 USC-Upstate  76  #4 Jacksonville  62
	Day 3 – Semifinals
	FRIDAY, MARCH 08, 2013
5	#2 Fla. Gulf Coast  72  #3 Stetson  58
6	#1 Mercer  72  #5 USC-Upstate  64
	Day 4 – Finals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 09, 2013
7	#1 Mercer vs. #2 Florida Gulf Coast	12:00 p.m.	ESPN2

 

Online Site: http://www.atlanticsun.org

 

Big South Conference   Seed Team Conference Overall RPI 1 Charleston Southern 12-4 18-11 186 2 High Point 12-4 17-13 248 3 Gardner-Webb 11-5 21-11 185 4 UNC-Asheville 10-6 16-16 202 5 Coastal Carolina 9-7 14-15 246 6 V M I 8-8 14-16 311 7 Campbell 7-9 13-20 293 8 Radford 7-9 13-19 313 9 Winthrop 6-10 14-17 275 10 Liberty 6-10 13-20 324 11 Presbyterian 4-12 8-24 339 12 Longwood 4-12 8-24 336   Conference Tournament—Conway, SC (Myrtle Beach Area) (Coastal Carolina) Game # Day 1 – First Round Time TV   TUESDAY, MARCH 5     1 5S Winthrop  60  4N Radford  58 ot     2 6N Longwood  87  3S UNC-Asheville  72     3 3N Campbell  81  6S Presbyterian  73     4 5N Liberty  78  4S Coastal Carolina  61               Day 2 – Quarterfinals       THURSDAY, MARCH 7     5 1S Charleston Southern  54  5S Winthrop  47     6 2N V M I  90  6N Longwood  86     7 2S Gardner-Webb  71  3N Campbell  57     8 5N Liberty  61  1N High Point  60               Day 3 – Semifinals       SATURDAY, MARCH 9     9 1S Charleston Southern vs. 2N V M I 12 Noon ESPN3 10 2S Gardner-Webb vs. 5N Liberty 2:00 PM ESPN3           Day 4-Finals       SUNDAY, MARCH 10     11 Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 12 Noon ESPN2   Online TV Site: www.bigsouthsports.com   Colonial Athletic Association   Seed Team Conference Overall RPI 1 Northeastern 14-4 19-11 160 2 Delaware 13-5 18-13 127 3 James Madison 11-7 17-14 207 4 George Mason 10-8 17-13 155 5 Drexel 9-9 13-17 205 6 William & Mary 7-11 13-16 265 7 Hofstra 4-14 7-24 321   Conference Tournament—Richmond, VA Game # Day 1 – Quarterfinals Time TV   SATURDAY, MARCH 9     1 4-George Mason vs. 5-Drexel 3:30 PM Online 2 2-Delaware vs. 7-Hofstra 6:00 PM Online 3 3-James Madison vs. 6-William & Mary 8:30 PM Online           Day 2 – Semifinals       SUNDAY, MARCH 10     4 1-Northeastern vs. Winner Game 1 2:00 PM NBCSN 5 Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3 4:30 PM NBCSN           Day 3-Finals       MONDAY, MARCH 11     6 Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 7:00 PM NBCSN   Online Site: http://www.caasports.com   Horizon League   Seed Team Conference Overall RPI 1 Valparaiso 13-3 24-7 63 2 Detroit 12-4 20-11 58 3 Wright St. 10-6 20-11 166 4 Green Bay 10-6 18-14 167 5 Illinois-Chicago 7-9 17-15 164 6 Youngstown St. 7-9 17-15 190 7 Loyola (Chi) 5-11 15-16 218 8 Cleveland St. 5-11 14-18 196 9 Milwaukee 3-13 8-24 301

Conference Tournament—1^st Round & Championship @ Higher Seed, Quarterfinals & Semifinals at Valparaiso

 

Game #	Day 1 – 1st Round	Time	TV
	TUESDAY, MARCH 5
1	4-Green Bay  62  9-Milwaukee  46
2	5-Illinois-Chicago  82  8-Cleveland St.  59
3	6-Youngstown St.  62  7-Loyola (Chi)  60
	Day 2 – Quarterfinals
	FRIDAY, MARCH 8
4	3-Wright St.  66  6-Youngstown St.  59
5	4-Green Bay  64  5-Illinois-Chicago  63
	Day 3 – Semifinals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
6	2-Detroit vs. 3-Wright St.	6:00 PM	ESPNU (@ 10:30)
7	1-Valparaiso vs. 4-Green Bay	8:30 PM	ESPNU
	Day 4 – Finals
	TUESDAY, MARCH 12
8	Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7	9:00 PM	ESPN

 

Online Site: http://www.horizonleague.org

 

M A A C

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	Niagara	13-5	18-12	123
2	Rider	12-6	18-13	135
3	Loyola (MD)	12-6	21-10	98
4	Iona	11-7	17-13	117
5	Canisius	11-7	18-12	110
6	Manhattan	9-9	12-17	200
7	Fairfield	9-9	18-14	170
8	Marist	6-12	10-21	250
9	Siena	4-14	8-23	297
10	St. Peter’s	3-15	9-21	283

 

Conference Tournament—Springfield, MA

Game #	Day 1 – 1st Round	Time	TV
	FRIDAY, MARCH 8
1	9-Siena   70  8-Marist  64
2	7-Fairfield  54  10-St. Peter’s  47
	Day 2 – Quarterfinals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
3	1-Niagara vs. 9-Siena	2:30 PM	ESPN3
4	4-Iona vs. 5-Canisius	4:30 PM	ESPN3
5	2-Rider vs. 7-Fairfield	7:30 PM	ESPN3
6	3-Loyola (MD) vs. 6-Manhattan	9:30 PM	ESPN3
	Day 3 – Semifinals
	SUNDAY, MARCH 10
7	Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4	2:00 PM	ESPN3
8	Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6	4:30 PM	ESPN3
	Day 4 – Finals
	MONDAY, MARCH 11
9	Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8	9:00 PM	ESPN2

 

Online Site: http://www.maacsports.com

 

Missouri Valley Conference

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	Creighton	13-5	25-7	36
2	Wichita St.	12-6	25-7	40
3	Northern Iowa	11-7	18-14	79
4	Evansville	10-8	18-14	96
5	Indiana St.	9-9	18-13	78
6	Illinois St.	8-10	18-14	120
7	Missouri St.	7-11	11-22	211
8	Bradley	7-11	16-16	181
9	Drake	7-11	15-17	150
10	Southern Illinois	6-12	14-17	177

 

Conference Tournament—St. Louis (Arch Madness)

 

Game #	Day 1 – Opening Round	Time	TV
	THURSDAY, MARCH 7
1	9-Drake  81  8-Bradley  66
2	7-Missouri St.  61 10-Southern Illinois  53
	Day 2 – Quarterfinals
	FRIDAY, MARCH 8
3	1-Creighton  65  9-Drake  53
4	5-Indiana St.  51  4-Evansville  50
5	2-Wichita St.  69  7-Missouri St.  59
6	6-Illinois St.  73  3-Northern Iowa  65
	Day 3 – Semifinals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
7	1-Creighton vs. 5-Indiana St.	2:35 PM	ESPN3
8	2-Wichita St. vs. 6-Illinois St.	5:05 PM	ESPN3
	Day 4 – Finals
	SUNDAY, MARCH 10
9	Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8	2:05 PM	CBS

 

 

Online Site: http://www.mvc-sports.com

 

 

Northeast Conference

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	Robert Morris	14-4	24-9	114
2	Wagner	12-6	20-11	124
3	Long Island	12-6	19-13	195
4	Bryant	12-6	19-12	146
5	Mt. St. Mary‘s	11-7	18-13	156
6	Quinnipiac	11-7	15-17	191
7	Central Connecticut	9-9	13-18	197
8	St. Francis, NY	8-10	12-19	216

 

Conference Tournament—Games at Campus Sites.  Higher Seeds Host All Games.  Teams Will Be Re-Seeded After Quarterfinals

 

Game #	Day 1 – Quarterfinals	Time	TV
	WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6
1	1-Robert Morris  75  8-St. Francis (NY)  57
2	2-Wagner  72  7-Central Connecticut  50
3	3-Long Island  91  6-Quinnipiac  83
4	5-Mt. St. Mary‘s  75  4-Bryant  69
	Day 2 – Semifinals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
5	5-Mt. St. Mary’s at 1-Robert Morris	2:30 PM	ESPN3
6	3-Long Island at 2-Wagner	12:00	ESPN3
	Day 3 – Finals
	TUESDAY, MARCH 12
7	Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6	7:00 PM	ESPN2

 

Online Site: http://www.northeastconference.org

 

Ohio Valley Conference

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	Belmont	14-2	25-6	24
2	Murray St.	10-6	21-9	128
3	Eastern Kentucky	12-4	24-9	65
4	Tennessee St.	11-5	18-14	111
5	Morehead St.	8-8	15-18	172
6	Southeast Missouri	8-8	17-16	224
7	E. Illinois	6-10	11-21	272
8	UT-Martin	5-11	9-21	306

 

Conference Tournament—Nashville

 

Game #	Day 1 – 1st Round	Time	TV
	WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6
1	5-Morehead St.  73  8-UT-Martin  66
2	6-Southeast Missouri  78  7-E. Illinois  68
	Day 2 – Quarterfinals
	THURSDAY, MARCH 7
3	4-Tennessee St.  88  5-Morehead St.  75
4	3-Eastern Kentucky  84  6-S E M O  69
	Day 3 – Semifinals
	FRIDAY, MARCH 8
5	1-Belmont  82  4-Tennessee St.  73
6	2-Murray St.  81  3-E. Kentucky  73
	Day 4 – Finals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
7	1-Belmont vs. 2-Murray St.	7:00 PM	ESPN2

 

Online Site: http://ovcsports.sidearmsports.com

 

Patriot League

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	Bucknell	12-2	26-5	52
2	Lafayette	10-4	18-14	173
3	Lehigh	10-4	21-8	105
4	Army	8-6	16-14	213
5	American	5-9	10-20	261
6	Colgate	5-9	11-21	255
7	Holy Cross	4-10	12-18	249
8	Navy	2-12	8-23	314

 

Game #	Day 1 – Quarterfinals	Time	TV
	WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6
1	1-Bucknell  58  8-Navy  42
2	4-Army  65  5-American  44
3	2-Lafayette  77  7-Holy Cross  54
4	3-Lehigh  71  6-Colgate  64
	Day 2 – Semifinals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
	Games at Higher Seed
5	4-Army at 1-Bucknell	4:30 PM	CBSSN
6	3-Lehigh at 2-Lafayette	2:00 PM	CBSSN
	Day 3 – Finals
	WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13
	Game at Higher Seed
7	Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6	7:30 PM	CBSSN

 

Online Site: http://www.patriotleague.org

 

Southern Conference

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	Davidson	17-1	23-7	82
2	College of Charleston	14-4	22-9	147
3	Elon	13-5	20-10	176
4	Appalachian St.	10-8	14-15	270
5	Western Carolina	9-9	14-18	251
6	Samford	9-9	11-21	281
7	Chattanooga	8-10	13-19	276
8	Wofford	7-11	13-19	240
9	Georgia Southern	7-11	14-18	277
10	UNC-Greensboro	6-12	9-21	330
11	The Citadel	5-13	8-22	327
12	Furman	3-15	7-23	342

 

Conference Tournament: Asheville, NC

Game #	Day 1 – 1st Round	Time	TV
	FRIDAY, MARCH 8
1	9-Georgia Southern  60  8-Wofford  44
2	12-Furman   55  5-Samford  51
3	10-UNC-Greensboro  87  7-Chattanooga  81
4	6-Western Carolina  76  11-The Citadel  61
	Day 2 – Quarterfinals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
5	1-Davidson vs. 9-Georgia Southern	12:00 PM	ESPN3
6	4-Appalachian St. vs. 12-Furman	2:30 PM	ESPN3
7	2-Elon vs. 10-UNC-Greensboro	6:00 PM	ESPN3
8	3-Coll. of Charleston vs. 6-Western Carolina	8:30 PM	ESPN3
	Day 3 – Quarterfinals
	SUNDAY, MARCH 10
9	Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6	6:00 PM	ESPN3
10	Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8	8:30 PM	ESPN3
	Day 4 – Finals
	MONDAY, MARCH 11
11	Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10	7:00 PM	ESPN2

 

Online Site: http://www.soconsports.com

 

Summit League

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	South Dakota St.	13-3	22-9	75
2	Western Illinois	13-3	21-7	126
3	North Dakota St.	12-4	22-8	81
4	Oakland	10-6	16-15	132
5	I P F W	7-9	15-16	264
6	Mo.-Kansas City	5-11	8-23	287
7	South Dakota	5-11	10-19	242
8	I U P U I	1-15	6-25	325

 

Conference Tournament—Sioux Falls, SD

 

Game #	Day 1 – Quarterfinals	Time	TV
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
1	1-South Dakota St. vs. 8-I U P U I	7:00 PM	FOXCS
2	2-Western Illinois vs. 7-South Dakota	9:30 PM	FOXCS
	Day 2 – Quarterfinals
	SUNDAY, MARCH 10
3	4-Oakland vs. 5-I P F W	7:00 PM	FOXCS
4	3-North Dakota St. vs. 6-UM-Kansas City	9:30 PM	FOXCS
	Day 3 –Semifinals
	MONDAY, MARCH 11
5	Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3	7:00 PM	FOXCS
6	Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4	9:30 PM	FOXCS
	Day 4 – Finals
	TUESDAY, MARCH 12
7	Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6	9:00 PM	ESPN2

 

Online Site: http://www.thesummitleague.org

 

Sun Belt Conference

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	Middle Tennessee	19-1	27-4	23
2	South Alabama	14-6	17-11	149
3	Arkansas St.	12-8	18-11	154
4	Florida Int’l	11-9	16-13	137
5	Arkansas-Little Rock	11-9	17-14	163
6	Western Kentucky	10-10	17-15	178
7	Florida Atlantic	9-11	14-18	209
8	Louisiana-Lafayette	8-12	13-19	229
9	North Texas	7-13	12-20	233
10	Troy	6-14	12-20	271
11	Louisiana-Monroe	3-17	4-23	299

 

Conference Tournament—Hot Springs, AR

Note: This Tournament Uses Two Courts— S=Summit Arena, C=Convention Center Court

 

Game #	Day 1 – 1st Round	Time	TV
	FRIDAY, MARCH 8
1	6-Western Kentucky  74  11-UL-Monroe  60
2	8-UL-Lafayette  74  9-North Texas  55
3	10-Troy   81  7-Florida Atlantic  79 ot
	Day 2 – Quarterfinals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
4	4-Florida Int’l vs. 5-Ark.-Little Rock	7:00 PM  C	Sun Belt Network
5	1-Middle Tennessee vs. 8-UL-Lafayette	7:30 PM  S	Sun Belt Network
6	3-South Alabama vs. 6-Western Kentucky	9:30 PM  C	Sun Belt Network
7	2-Arkansas St. vs. 10-Troy	10:00 PM  S	Sun Belt Network
	Day 3 – Semifinals
	SUNDAY, MARCH 10
8	Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5	7:30 PM  S	Sun Belt Network
9	Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7	9:00 PM  S	Sun Belt Network
	Day 4 – Finals
10	Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9	7:00 PM  S	ESPN

 

Online Site: http://www.sunbeltsports.org

 

West Coast Conference

 

Seed	Team	Conference	Overall	RPI
1	Gonzaga	16-0	29-2	10
2	St. Mary’s	14-2	26-5	41
3	B Y U	10-6	21-11	62
4	Santa Clara	9-7	21-11	90
5	San Francisco	7-9	14-16	152
6	San Diego	7-9	15-17	180
7	Pepperdine	4-12	12-18	204
8	Portland	4-12	11-21	219
9	Loyola Marymount	1-15	10-22	253

 

Conference Tournament: Las Vegas

 

Game #	Day 1 – 1st Round	Time	TV
	WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6
1	9-Loyola Marymount  65  8-Portland  54
	Day 2 – 2nd Round
	THURSDAY, MARCH 7
2	9-Loyola Marymount  61  5-San Francisco  60
3	6-San Diego  62  7-Pepperdine  59
	Day 3 – Quarterfinals
	FRIDAY, MARCH 8
4	9-Loyola Marymount   60  4-Santa Clara  58
5	6-San Diego  72  3-B Y U  69
	Day 4 – Semifinals
	SATURDAY, MARCH 9
6	1-Gonzaga vs. 9-Loyola Marymount	8:00 PM	ESPN2
7	2-St. Mary’s vs. 6-San Diego	10:30 PM	ESPN2
	Day 5 – Finals
8	MONDAY, MARCH 11	8:00 PM	ESPN

 

Online Site: http://www.wccsports.com

 

As The Bubble Blows

There wasn’t much action last night affecting the bubble, but there was some key games.  In the Ivy League, Princeton lost to Yale, while Harvard beat Columbia.  This gives The Crimson a half-game lead over the Tigers.  Princeton plays at Brown tonight, while Harvard hosts Cornell.

 

Akron lost without their star point guard, and the Zips probably must now win the MAC Tournament to be assured a spot in the NCAA Tournament.  Without Alex Abreu, Ohio becomes the favorite, with KentState choice number two.

 

Other Big Games of Note for Saturday, March 09, 2013

Syracuse at Georgetown:  These powers meet as conference rivals for possibly the last time, and Georgetown is clinging to a slim chance to move back to a number one seed.  The Hoyas must win this game and then take the Big East Tournament crown.

 

Florida at Kentucky:  The Gators can still earn a number one seed if they win this game and then take the SEC Tournament title next week.  Any chance that Kentucky can earn an at-large bid includes winning this game and then making it to at least Saturday in the conference tournament.

 

Providence at Connecticut:  The Friars have moved into contention for an at-large bid out of the Big East.  PU is 9-8/17-12, and a win over the Huskies could give them a chance to sneak in as an at-large team if they can win at least twice at MSG next week.  The Friars have won seven of eight games including wins over Villanova, Cincinnati, and Notre Dame.

 

Minnesota at Purdue: The Gophers are still on the safer side of the bubble, but a loss today could turn cost them that security.  Minny is 8-9, and they need to finish at .500 and then win at least once in the conference tournament to make it for sure.

 

Kansas St. at Oklahoma St.: Both teams are lock for the NCAA Tournament.  This game is about other things.  K-State can still win the regular season Big 12 title.  If the Wildcats finish second, then these teams could face off again next Saturday in the conference tournament’s semifinal round.

 

LaSalle at St. Louis:  LaSalle has a chance to play itself onto the bubble with a road win over the Billikens.  The Explorers can actually earn a share of the conference championship if they win and Temple beats VirginiaCommonwealth.

 

Ole Miss at L S U: The visiting Rebels probably need to win this game and then win at least once in the SEC Tournament to have a legitimate chance at an at-large bid.  LSU is not in contention at 9-8/18-10, but if the Tigers win today and then make it all the way to the final round, the Selection Committee will have to give them some consideration.

 

IowaState at West Virginia:  This is a must-win game for the Cyclones.  A loss to WVU undoes what the win over OklahomaState did for ISU.

 

Nebraska at Iowa:  The Hawkeyes are in the same boat as their Big 12 in-state rival.  A loss to the Cornhuskers is a major shot across the bough.  A win improves their lot infinitesimally.

 

San Diego St. at Boise St.:  The Broncos are squarely on the bubble, and a win at home over the Aztecs will move them up several spots on said bubble.  San DiegoState is close to a lock, and a road win will secure their at-large bid to the Dance.

 

Notre Dame at Louisville:  The Cardinals could be the true top team in the nation heading into the Big East Tournament.  If they knock off the Fighting Irish in convincing fashion, UL could move up to 1-seed status.  They are capable of moving up to the top line in the seedings.

 

Georgia at Alabama:  A Crimson Tide loss puts them out of the at-large pool.  It would also give Georgia all the momentum heading into the conference tournament.

 

South Florida at Cincinnati:  The Bearcats still have work to do in the Big East before they can feel safe about an at-large bid.  A loss puts them at 8-10 in the conference.  They must win today and then win at least once in the conference tournament to have a real shot.

 

Missouri at Tennessee: Missouri has probably already earned their dance ticket, while Tennessee is one big win away from earning an at-large bid.  Expect to see hear both teams’ names called on Selection Sunday.

 

Arizona St. at Arizona:  ASU has yet to wrap up an at-large bid, and the Sun Devils need a big win like this one can give them.

 

Kansas at Baylor: We can see no way for the Bears to earn an at-large bid that does not include a win over Kansas plus a run to at least the semifinals in the Big 12 Tournament and maybe even a trip to the finals.

 

Central Florida at Southern Miss.  The fact that the Golden Eagles are still in consideration has more to do with a very soft bubble this year.

 

Duke at North Carolina:  Both teams are sure things for the Dance, but Duke can wrap up a 1-seed with a win, while the Tar Heels can move up to a four or even three seed with a win over their rival and then a good showing in Greensboro next week.