PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Tuesday’s Conference Tournaments
Atlantic Coast Conference–1st Round
Brooklyn
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Boston College	Pittsburgh	2.6
Clemson	North Carolina St.	5.0
Louisville	Georgia Tech	1.8
Atlantic Sun Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Higher Seed at Home
Home	Visitor	Spread
Bellarmine	Jacksonville	6.2
Big West Conference–1st Round
Henderson, NV
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Cal St. Northridge	Cal St. Bakersfield	-4.6
UC Davis	Cal Poly	6.2
Colonial Athletic Association–CHAMPIONSHIP
Washington, D.C.
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Delaware	UNC Wilmington	2.5
Conference USA–1st Round
Frisco, TX
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Florida Intl.	Marshall	-2.5
UTSA	Southern Miss.	2.9
Horizon League–CHAMPIONSHIP
Indianapolis
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Northern Kentucky	Wright St.	-1.2
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference–1st Round
Atlantic City, NJ
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Manhattan	Rider	-0.5
Fairfield	Canisius	1.9
Marist	Quinnipiac	2.6
Northeast Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Higher Seed at Home
Home	Visitor	Spread
Bryant	Wagner	-2.5
Summit League–CHAMPIONSHIP
Sioux Falls, SD
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
South Dakota St.	North Dakota St.	6.7
West Coast Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Las Vegas
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Gonzaga	Saint Mary’s	11.1
Western Athletic Conference–Opening Round
Las Vegas
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
California Baptist	UT Rio Grande Valley	6.6
Utah Valley	Chicago St.	14.7

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

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Monday, March 7, 2022

Monday’s Conference Tournaments
Colonial Athletic Association–Semifinals
Charlotte
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Towson	Delaware	6.5
UNC Wilmington	Charleston	-2.0
Horizon League–Semifinals
Indianapolis
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Cleveland St.	Wright St.	-0.1
Purdue Ft. Wayne	Northern Kentucky	-1.2
Southern Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Asheville, NC
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Chattanooga	Furman	-0.2
Summit League–Semifinals
Sioux Falls, SD
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
South Dakota St.	South Dakota	8.9
North Dakota St.	Oral Roberts	-1.2
Sun Belt Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Pensacola, FL
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Georgia St.	Louisiana	1.7
West Coast Conference–Semifinals
Las Vegas
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Gonzaga	San Francisco	11.7
Saint Mary’s	Santa Clara	5.4

Dance Tickets Punched

1	Murray St.	Ohio Valley	27-2
2	Longwood	Big South	26-6
3	Loyola (Chi.)	Missouri Valley	25-7

Monday’s PiRate Ratings

#	Team	PiRate	Conference
1	Gonzaga	124.6	West Coast
2	Arizona	120.8	Pac-12
3	Kentucky	119.4	Southeastern
4	Baylor	119.2	Big 12
5	Auburn	118.4	Southeastern
6	Duke	118.1	Atlantic Coast
7	Houston	118.1	American Athletic
8	Kansas	118.0	Big 12
9	UCLA	117.7	Pac-12
10	Purdue	117.3	Big Ten
11	Tennessee	117.2	Southeastern
12	Villanova	117.1	Big East
13	Texas Tech	116.9	Big 12
14	Iowa	116.6	Big Ten
15	Illinois	115.5	Big Ten
16	LSU	114.9	Southeastern
17	Texas	114.6	Big 12
18	Arkansas	114.5	Southeastern
19	Connecticut	114.1	Big East
20	Alabama	113.6	Southeastern
21	Saint Mary’s	113.3	West Coast
22	San Francisco	112.9	West Coast
23	Memphis	112.7	American Athletic
24	Ohio St.	112.7	Big Ten
25	Michigan	112.6	Big Ten
26	Seton Hall	112.2	Big East
27	North Carolina	112.2	Atlantic Coast
28	Loyola Chicago	112.0	Missouri Valley
29	Virginia Tech	111.8	Atlantic Coast
30	Wisconsin	111.8	Big Ten
31	San Diego St.	111.7	Mountain West
32	Wake Forest	111.7	Atlantic Coast
33	Michigan St.	111.5	Big Ten
34	USC	111.4	Pac-12
35	Indiana	111.3	Big Ten
36	Oklahoma St.	111.3	Big 12
37	Providence	111.2	Big East
38	Oklahoma	111.0	Big 12
39	Xavier	110.9	Big East
40	Marquette	110.9	Big East
41	Murray St.	110.6	Ohio Valley
42	Boise St.	110.6	Mountain West
43	Florida	110.5	Southeastern
44	Colorado St.	110.4	Mountain West
45	TCU	110.2	Big 12
46	UAB	110.1	Conference USA
47	Notre Dame	110.1	Atlantic Coast
48	Mississippi St.	109.9	Southeastern
49	Washington St.	109.9	Pac-12
50	Iowa St.	109.9	Big 12
51	SMU	109.6	American Athletic
52	St. John’s	109.6	Big East
53	BYU	109.3	West Coast
54	Dayton	109.2	Atlantic 10
55	VCU	109.2	Atlantic 10
56	Davidson	109.2	Atlantic 10
57	Miami FL	109.2	Atlantic Coast
58	Utah St.	109.2	Mountain West
59	Texas A&M	109.1	Southeastern
60	Saint Louis	109.0	Atlantic 10
61	Oregon	108.8	Pac-12
62	West Virginia	108.7	Big 12
63	Kansas St.	108.7	Big 12
64	Northwestern	108.7	Big Ten
65	Toledo	108.5	Mid-American
66	Rutgers	108.4	Big Ten
67	Maryland	108.3	Big Ten
68	Creighton	108.3	Big East
69	Missouri St.	108.2	Missouri Valley
70	North Texas	108.2	Conference USA
71	Colorado	108.2	Pac-12
72	Virginia	108.1	Atlantic Coast
73	Vermont	108.1	America East
74	Wyoming	108.1	Mountain West
75	Clemson	107.9	Atlantic Coast
76	Santa Clara	107.9	West Coast
77	South Dakota St.	107.8	Summit
78	Vanderbilt	107.6	Southeastern
79	Penn St.	107.4	Big Ten
80	Belmont	107.4	Ohio Valley
81	St. Bonaventure	107.3	Atlantic 10
82	Syracuse	107.3	Atlantic Coast
83	Fresno St.	107.3	Mountain West
84	Towson	107.2	Colonial Athletic
85	Furman	107.2	Southern
86	Chattanooga	107.0	Southern
87	Wichita St.	106.8	American Athletic
88	Drake	106.6	Missouri Valley
89	Florida St.	106.5	Atlantic Coast
90	Arizona St.	106.5	Pac-12
91	Richmond	106.5	Atlantic 10
92	South Carolina	106.2	Southeastern
93	UNLV	106.1	Mountain West
94	DePaul	106.1	Big East
95	Iona	106.0	Metro Atlantic
96	New Mexico St.	105.8	Western Athletic
97	UCF	105.8	American Athletic
98	Cincinnati	105.7	American Athletic
99	Northern Iowa	105.6	Missouri Valley
100	Mississippi	105.6	Southeastern
101	Tulane	105.3	American Athletic
102	Grand Canyon	105.3	Western Athletic
103	Bradley	105.2	Missouri Valley
104	Louisiana Tech	105.1	Conference USA
105	Minnesota	104.9	Big Ten
106	Stanford	104.7	Pac-12
107	Princeton	104.3	Ivy League
108	Utah	104.1	Pac-12
109	Buffalo	104.0	Mid-American
110	Western Kentucky	103.9	Conference USA
111	Middle Tennessee	103.8	Conference USA
112	Ohio	103.8	Mid-American
113	Washington	103.6	Pac-12
114	Nevada	103.6	Mountain West
115	Colgate	103.5	Patriot League
116	George Mason	103.5	Atlantic 10
117	Temple	103.3	American Athletic
118	UC Irvine	103.3	Big West
119	Louisville	103.2	Atlantic Coast
120	Stephen F. Austin	103.2	Western Athletic
121	Wofford	103.2	Southern
122	Butler	103.0	Big East
123	N.C. State	102.9	Atlantic Coast
124	Rhode Island	102.8	Atlantic 10
125	Utah Valley	102.8	Western Athletic
126	Liberty	102.7	Atlantic Sun
127	Hofstra	102.7	Colonial Athletic
128	Morehead St.	102.7	Ohio Valley
129	Nebraska	102.6	Big Ten
130	Southern Illinois	102.5	Missouri Valley
131	Wagner	102.5	Northeast
132	Florida Atlantic	102.5	Conference USA
133	UC Santa Barbara	102.5	Big West
134	California	102.4	Pac-12
135	Kent St.	102.3	Mid-American
136	Saint Peter’s	102.0	Metro Atlantic
137	Seattle	102.0	Western Athletic
138	Abilene Christian	102.0	Western Athletic
139	Georgia Tech	101.8	Atlantic Coast
140	Oral Roberts	101.8	Summit
141	South Alabama	101.8	Sun Belt
142	Boston College	101.7	Atlantic Coast
143	Jacksonville St.	101.6	Atlantic Sun
144	Akron	101.6	Mid-American
145	Missouri	101.6	Southeastern
146	Yale	101.5	Ivy League
147	Texas St.	101.5	Sun Belt
148	Montana St.	101.3	Big Sky
149	Longwood	101.2	Big South
150	Georgia St.	101.2	Sun Belt
151	Charleston	101.1	Colonial Athletic
152	Southern Utah	101.0	Big Sky
153	Tulsa	100.9	American Athletic
154	Appalachian St.	100.8	Sun Belt
155	Coastal Carolina	100.8	Sun Belt
156	Drexel	100.8	Colonial Athletic
157	Delaware	100.7	Colonial Athletic
158	Monmouth	100.7	Metro Atlantic
159	North Dakota St.	100.6	Summit
160	Hawaii	100.5	Big West
161	Sam Houston St.	100.5	Western Athletic
162	Saint Joseph’s	100.4	Atlantic 10
163	Weber St.	100.4	Big Sky
164	Georgetown	100.3	Big East
165	Winthrop	100.1	Big South
166	New Mexico	100.1	Mountain West
167	UC Riverside	100.0	Big West
168	VMI	99.9	Southern
169	UTEP	99.9	Conference USA
170	Oakland	99.9	Horizon
171	Old Dominion	99.9	Conference USA
172	Jacksonville	99.8	Atlantic Sun
173	Navy	99.8	Patriot League
174	Long Beach St.	99.8	Big West
175	Wright St.	99.8	Horizon
176	Cleveland St.	99.7	Horizon
177	Pittsburgh	99.7	Atlantic Coast
178	Cal St. Fullerton	99.6	Big West
179	UNC Greensboro	99.6	Southern
180	Norfolk St.	99.5	Mideastern Athletic
181	East Carolina	99.5	American Athletic
182	Louisiana	99.5	Sun Belt
183	Portland	99.3	West Coast
184	Charlotte	99.2	Conference USA
185	Gardner Webb	99.2	Big South
186	UNC Wilmington	99.1	Colonial Athletic
187	East Tennessee St.	99.1	Southern
188	Massachusetts	99.1	Atlantic 10
189	Loyola Marymount	99.0	West Coast
190	Arkansas St.	98.9	Sun Belt
191	South Dakota	98.9	Summit
192	Fordham	98.9	Atlantic 10
193	Illinois St.	98.8	Missouri Valley
194	Troy	98.7	Sun Belt
195	Northern Kentucky	98.7	Horizon
196	Bryant	98.6	Northeast
197	Valparaiso	98.6	Missouri Valley
198	Bellarmine	98.5	Atlantic Sun
199	Georgia	98.5	Southeastern
200	Mercer	98.5	Southern
201	Niagara	98.5	Metro Atlantic
202	Cornell	98.5	Ivy League
203	Florida Gulf Coast	98.4	Atlantic Sun
204	Marist	98.3	Metro Atlantic
205	Northern Colorado	98.3	Big Sky
206	Boston University	98.3	Patriot League
207	Nicholls St.	98.2	Southland
208	Samford	98.2	Southern
209	UMKC	98.1	Summit
210	Cal Baptist	98.1	Western Athletic
211	Texas Southern	98.0	Southwestern Athletic
212	Oregon St.	98.0	Pac-12
213	Dartmouth	97.9	Ivy League
214	Penn	97.9	Ivy League
215	Brown	97.8	Ivy League
216	Eastern Washington	97.7	Big Sky
217	San Diego	97.7	West Coast
218	Purdue Fort Wayne	97.5	Horizon
219	UC Davis	97.5	Big West
220	Rice	97.5	Conference USA
221	James Madison	97.4	Colonial Athletic
222	Campbell	97.3	Big South
223	Fairfield	97.3	Metro Atlantic
224	Tarleton St.	97.3	Western Athletic
225	UT Arlington	97.2	Sun Belt
226	Detroit Mercy	97.2	Horizon
227	Southern	97.2	Southwestern Athletic
228	Montana	97.1	Big Sky
229	UNC Asheville	97.1	Big South
230	Harvard	96.9	Ivy League
231	Kennesaw St.	96.9	Atlantic Sun
232	Indiana St.	96.8	Missouri Valley
233	George Washington	96.8	Atlantic 10
234	La Salle	96.7	Atlantic 10
235	Marshall	96.4	Conference USA
236	New Hampshire	96.4	America East
237	UMBC	96.2	America East
238	LIU	96.2	Northeast
239	UMass Lowell	96.1	America East
240	Western Illinois	96.0	Summit
241	Howard	95.9	Mideastern Athletic
242	Mount St. Mary’s	95.9	Northeast
243	Stony Brook	95.9	America East
244	Miami OH	95.9	Mid-American
245	South Florida	95.7	American Athletic
246	Northeastern	95.7	Colonial Athletic
247	Siena	95.6	Metro Atlantic
248	Eastern Kentucky	95.4	Atlantic Sun
249	Rider	95.4	Metro Atlantic
250	The Citadel	95.3	Southern
251	Georgia Southern	95.3	Sun Belt
252	Youngstown St.	95.1	Horizon
253	Portland St.	95.0	Big Sky
254	High Point	94.9	Big South
255	FIU	94.9	Conference USA
256	Elon	94.9	Colonial Athletic
257	Quinnipiac	94.9	Metro Atlantic
258	Canisius	94.8	Metro Atlantic
259	Ball St.	94.8	Mid-American
260	Southeast Missouri St.	94.8	Ohio Valley
261	Tennessee Tech	94.7	Ohio Valley
262	Air Force	94.5	Mountain West
263	Loyola MD	94.4	Patriot League
264	North Florida	94.4	Atlantic Sun
265	New Orleans	94.4	Southland
266	Louisiana Monroe	94.4	Sun Belt
267	Manhattan	94.3	Metro Atlantic
268	UC San Diego	94.3	Big West
269	Hartford	94.3	America East
270	Cal St. Bakersfield	94.2	Big West
271	Texas A&M Corpus Chris	94.2	Southland
272	Bowling Green	94.2	Mid-American
273	Lipscomb	94.0	Atlantic Sun
274	Tennessee St.	94.0	Ohio Valley
275	Alcorn St.	93.9	Southwestern Athletic
276	Presbyterian	93.8	Big South
277	Illinois Chicago	93.8	Horizon
278	Duquesne	93.8	Atlantic 10
279	Pepperdine	93.7	West Coast
280	Binghamton	93.4	America East
281	Pacific	93.4	West Coast
282	Albany	93.4	America East
283	Jackson St.	93.3	Southwestern Athletic
284	Merrimack	93.2	Northeast
285	Radford	93.1	Big South
286	Dixie St.	92.9	Western Athletic
287	Southeastern Louisiana	92.8	Southland
288	Army	92.8	Patriot League
289	Prairie View A&M	92.7	Southwestern Athletic
290	USC Upstate	92.7	Big South
291	Austin Peay	92.5	Ohio Valley
292	North Carolina Central	92.5	Mideastern Athletic
293	North Carolina A&T	92.3	Big South
294	Northern Illinois	92.2	Mid-American
295	Stetson	92.1	Atlantic Sun
296	Morgan St.	92.1	Mideastern Athletic
297	San Jose St.	92.1	Mountain West
298	Lehigh	92.0	Patriot League
299	SIU Edwardsville	91.9	Ohio Valley
300	Cal Poly	91.8	Big West
301	Denver	91.8	Summit
302	Western Carolina	91.7	Southern
303	Sacramento St.	91.5	Big Sky
304	North Alabama	91.4	Atlantic Sun
305	UTSA	91.4	Conference USA
306	St. Thomas	91.2	Summit
307	UT Rio Grande Valley	91.1	Western Athletic
308	Florida A&M	91.0	Southwestern Athletic
309	Sacred Heart	90.9	Northeast
310	Eastern Michigan	90.9	Mid-American
311	Grambling St.	90.8	Southwestern Athletic
312	Evansville	90.8	Missouri Valley
313	Robert Morris	90.8	Horizon
314	Tennessee Martin	90.7	Ohio Valley
315	Coppin St.	90.7	Mideastern Athletic
316	Maryland Eastern Shore	90.7	Mideastern Athletic
317	Lafayette	90.6	Patriot League
318	St. Francis PA	90.6	Northeast
319	St. Francis NY	90.5	Northeast
320	McNeese St.	90.5	Southland
321	Central Michigan	90.5	Mid-American
322	Little Rock	90.3	Sun Belt
323	Western Michigan	89.9	Mid-American
324	Idaho	89.7	Big Sky
325	Cal St. Northridge	89.6	Big West
326	South Carolina St.	89.6	Mideastern Athletic
327	Central Arkansas	89.6	Atlantic Sun
328	Milwaukee	89.5	Horizon
329	American	89.5	Patriot League
330	Idaho St.	89.4	Big Sky
331	Alabama St.	89.3	Southwestern Athletic
332	Hampton	89.2	Big South
333	Northern Arizona	89.1	Big Sky
334	Alabama A&M	89.1	Southwestern Athletic
335	Bucknell	88.8	Patriot League
336	Southern Miss	88.7	Conference USA
337	Northwestern St.	88.7	Southland
338	NJIT	88.6	America East
339	Green Bay	88.6	Horizon
340	Bethune Cookman	88.2	Southwestern Athletic
341	William & Mary	88.0	Colonial Athletic
342	Houston Baptist	87.5	Southland
343	Holy Cross	87.1	Patriot League
344	Central Connecticut	86.9	Northeast
345	Chicago St.	86.8	Western Athletic
346	North Dakota	86.7	Summit
347	Lamar	86.7	Western Athletic
348	Fairleigh Dickinson	86.5	Northeast
349	Nebraska Omaha	86.4	Summit
350	Maine	85.7	America East
351	Charleston Southern	85.7	Big South
352	Columbia	85.5	Ivy League
353	Incarnate Word	85.3	Southland
354	Arkansas Pine Bluff	84.0	Southwestern Athletic
355	Eastern Illinois	82.7	Ohio Valley
356	Delaware St.	81.6	Mideastern Athletic
357	Mississippi Valley St.	81.2	Southwestern Athletic
358	IUPUI	80.4	Horizon

Alphabetical

#	Team	PiRate	Conference
138	Abilene Christian	102.0	Western Athletic
262	Air Force	94.5	Mountain West
144	Akron	101.6	Mid-American
20	Alabama	113.6	Southeastern
334	Alabama A&M	89.1	Southwestern Athletic
331	Alabama St.	89.3	Southwestern Athletic
282	Albany	93.4	America East
275	Alcorn St.	93.9	Southwestern Athletic
329	American	89.5	Patriot League
154	Appalachian St.	100.8	Sun Belt
2	Arizona	120.8	Pac-12
90	Arizona St.	106.5	Pac-12
18	Arkansas	114.5	Southeastern
354	Arkansas Pine Bluff	84.0	Southwestern Athletic
190	Arkansas St.	98.9	Sun Belt
288	Army	92.8	Patriot League
5	Auburn	118.4	Southeastern
291	Austin Peay	92.5	Ohio Valley
259	Ball St.	94.8	Mid-American
4	Baylor	119.2	Big 12
198	Bellarmine	98.5	Atlantic Sun
80	Belmont	107.4	Ohio Valley
340	Bethune Cookman	88.2	Southwestern Athletic
280	Binghamton	93.4	America East
42	Boise St.	110.6	Mountain West
142	Boston College	101.7	Atlantic Coast
206	Boston University	98.3	Patriot League
272	Bowling Green	94.2	Mid-American
103	Bradley	105.2	Missouri Valley
215	Brown	97.8	Ivy League
196	Bryant	98.6	Northeast
335	Bucknell	88.8	Patriot League
109	Buffalo	104.0	Mid-American
122	Butler	103.0	Big East
53	BYU	109.3	West Coast
210	Cal Baptist	98.1	Western Athletic
300	Cal Poly	91.8	Big West
270	Cal St. Bakersfield	94.2	Big West
178	Cal St. Fullerton	99.6	Big West
325	Cal St. Northridge	89.6	Big West
134	California	102.4	Pac-12
222	Campbell	97.3	Big South
258	Canisius	94.8	Metro Atlantic
327	Central Arkansas	89.6	Atlantic Sun
344	Central Connecticut	86.9	Northeast
321	Central Michigan	90.5	Mid-American
151	Charleston	101.1	Colonial Athletic
351	Charleston Southern	85.7	Big South
184	Charlotte	99.2	Conference USA
86	Chattanooga	107.0	Southern
345	Chicago St.	86.8	Western Athletic
98	Cincinnati	105.7	American Athletic
75	Clemson	107.9	Atlantic Coast
176	Cleveland St.	99.7	Horizon
155	Coastal Carolina	100.8	Sun Belt
115	Colgate	103.5	Patriot League
71	Colorado	108.2	Pac-12
44	Colorado St.	110.4	Mountain West
352	Columbia	85.5	Ivy League
19	Connecticut	114.1	Big East
315	Coppin St.	90.7	Mideastern Athletic
202	Cornell	98.5	Ivy League
68	Creighton	108.3	Big East
213	Dartmouth	97.9	Ivy League
56	Davidson	109.2	Atlantic 10
54	Dayton	109.2	Atlantic 10
157	Delaware	100.7	Colonial Athletic
356	Delaware St.	81.6	Mideastern Athletic
301	Denver	91.8	Summit
94	DePaul	106.1	Big East
226	Detroit Mercy	97.2	Horizon
286	Dixie St.	92.9	Western Athletic
88	Drake	106.6	Missouri Valley
156	Drexel	100.8	Colonial Athletic
6	Duke	118.1	Atlantic Coast
278	Duquesne	93.8	Atlantic 10
181	East Carolina	99.5	American Athletic
187	East Tennessee St.	99.1	Southern
355	Eastern Illinois	82.7	Ohio Valley
248	Eastern Kentucky	95.4	Atlantic Sun
310	Eastern Michigan	90.9	Mid-American
216	Eastern Washington	97.7	Big Sky
256	Elon	94.9	Colonial Athletic
312	Evansville	90.8	Missouri Valley
223	Fairfield	97.3	Metro Atlantic
348	Fairleigh Dickinson	86.5	Northeast
255	FIU	94.9	Conference USA
43	Florida	110.5	Southeastern
308	Florida A&M	91.0	Southwestern Athletic
132	Florida Atlantic	102.5	Conference USA
203	Florida Gulf Coast	98.4	Atlantic Sun
89	Florida St.	106.5	Atlantic Coast
192	Fordham	98.9	Atlantic 10
83	Fresno St.	107.3	Mountain West
85	Furman	107.2	Southern
185	Gardner Webb	99.2	Big South
116	George Mason	103.5	Atlantic 10
233	George Washington	96.8	Atlantic 10
164	Georgetown	100.3	Big East
199	Georgia	98.5	Southeastern
251	Georgia Southern	95.3	Sun Belt
150	Georgia St.	101.2	Sun Belt
139	Georgia Tech	101.8	Atlantic Coast
1	Gonzaga	124.6	West Coast
311	Grambling St.	90.8	Southwestern Athletic
102	Grand Canyon	105.3	Western Athletic
339	Green Bay	88.6	Horizon
332	Hampton	89.2	Big South
269	Hartford	94.3	America East
230	Harvard	96.9	Ivy League
160	Hawaii	100.5	Big West
254	High Point	94.9	Big South
127	Hofstra	102.7	Colonial Athletic
343	Holy Cross	87.1	Patriot League
7	Houston	118.1	American Athletic
342	Houston Baptist	87.5	Southland
241	Howard	95.9	Mideastern Athletic
324	Idaho	89.7	Big Sky
330	Idaho St.	89.4	Big Sky
15	Illinois	115.5	Big Ten
277	Illinois Chicago	93.8	Horizon
193	Illinois St.	98.8	Missouri Valley
353	Incarnate Word	85.3	Southland
35	Indiana	111.3	Big Ten
232	Indiana St.	96.8	Missouri Valley
95	Iona	106.0	Metro Atlantic
14	Iowa	116.6	Big Ten
50	Iowa St.	109.9	Big 12
358	IUPUI	80.4	Horizon
283	Jackson St.	93.3	Southwestern Athletic
172	Jacksonville	99.8	Atlantic Sun
143	Jacksonville St.	101.6	Atlantic Sun
221	James Madison	97.4	Colonial Athletic
8	Kansas	118.0	Big 12
63	Kansas St.	108.7	Big 12
231	Kennesaw St.	96.9	Atlantic Sun
135	Kent St.	102.3	Mid-American
3	Kentucky	119.4	Southeastern
234	La Salle	96.7	Atlantic 10
317	Lafayette	90.6	Patriot League
347	Lamar	86.7	Western Athletic
298	Lehigh	92.0	Patriot League
126	Liberty	102.7	Atlantic Sun
273	Lipscomb	94.0	Atlantic Sun
322	Little Rock	90.3	Sun Belt
238	LIU	96.2	Northeast
174	Long Beach St.	99.8	Big West
149	Longwood	101.2	Big South
182	Louisiana	99.5	Sun Belt
266	Louisiana Monroe	94.4	Sun Belt
104	Louisiana Tech	105.1	Conference USA
119	Louisville	103.2	Atlantic Coast
28	Loyola Chicago	112.0	Missouri Valley
189	Loyola Marymount	99.0	West Coast
263	Loyola MD	94.4	Patriot League
16	LSU	114.9	Southeastern
350	Maine	85.7	America East
267	Manhattan	94.3	Metro Atlantic
204	Marist	98.3	Metro Atlantic
40	Marquette	110.9	Big East
235	Marshall	96.4	Conference USA
67	Maryland	108.3	Big Ten
316	Maryland Eastern Shore	90.7	Mideastern Athletic
188	Massachusetts	99.1	Atlantic 10
320	McNeese St.	90.5	Southland
23	Memphis	112.7	American Athletic
200	Mercer	98.5	Southern
284	Merrimack	93.2	Northeast
57	Miami FL	109.2	Atlantic Coast
244	Miami OH	95.9	Mid-American
25	Michigan	112.6	Big Ten
33	Michigan St.	111.5	Big Ten
111	Middle Tennessee	103.8	Conference USA
328	Milwaukee	89.5	Horizon
105	Minnesota	104.9	Big Ten
100	Mississippi	105.6	Southeastern
48	Mississippi St.	109.9	Southeastern
357	Mississippi Valley St.	81.2	Southwestern Athletic
145	Missouri	101.6	Southeastern
69	Missouri St.	108.2	Missouri Valley
158	Monmouth	100.7	Metro Atlantic
228	Montana	97.1	Big Sky
148	Montana St.	101.3	Big Sky
128	Morehead St.	102.7	Ohio Valley
296	Morgan St.	92.1	Mideastern Athletic
242	Mount St. Mary’s	95.9	Northeast
41	Murray St.	110.6	Ohio Valley
123	N.C. State	102.9	Atlantic Coast
173	Navy	99.8	Patriot League
129	Nebraska	102.6	Big Ten
349	Nebraska Omaha	86.4	Summit
114	Nevada	103.6	Mountain West
236	New Hampshire	96.4	America East
166	New Mexico	100.1	Mountain West
96	New Mexico St.	105.8	Western Athletic
265	New Orleans	94.4	Southland
201	Niagara	98.5	Metro Atlantic
207	Nicholls St.	98.2	Southland
338	NJIT	88.6	America East
180	Norfolk St.	99.5	Mideastern Athletic
304	North Alabama	91.4	Atlantic Sun
27	North Carolina	112.2	Atlantic Coast
293	North Carolina A&T	92.3	Big South
292	North Carolina Central	92.5	Mideastern Athletic
346	North Dakota	86.7	Summit
159	North Dakota St.	100.6	Summit
264	North Florida	94.4	Atlantic Sun
70	North Texas	108.2	Conference USA
246	Northeastern	95.7	Colonial Athletic
333	Northern Arizona	89.1	Big Sky
205	Northern Colorado	98.3	Big Sky
294	Northern Illinois	92.2	Mid-American
99	Northern Iowa	105.6	Missouri Valley
195	Northern Kentucky	98.7	Horizon
64	Northwestern	108.7	Big Ten
337	Northwestern St.	88.7	Southland
47	Notre Dame	110.1	Atlantic Coast
170	Oakland	99.9	Horizon
112	Ohio	103.8	Mid-American
24	Ohio St.	112.7	Big Ten
38	Oklahoma	111.0	Big 12
36	Oklahoma St.	111.3	Big 12
171	Old Dominion	99.9	Conference USA
140	Oral Roberts	101.8	Summit
61	Oregon	108.8	Pac-12
212	Oregon St.	98.0	Pac-12
281	Pacific	93.4	West Coast
214	Penn	97.9	Ivy League
79	Penn St.	107.4	Big Ten
279	Pepperdine	93.7	West Coast
177	Pittsburgh	99.7	Atlantic Coast
183	Portland	99.3	West Coast
253	Portland St.	95.0	Big Sky
289	Prairie View A&M	92.7	Southwestern Athletic
276	Presbyterian	93.8	Big South
107	Princeton	104.3	Ivy League
37	Providence	111.2	Big East
10	Purdue	117.3	Big Ten
218	Purdue Fort Wayne	97.5	Horizon
257	Quinnipiac	94.9	Metro Atlantic
285	Radford	93.1	Big South
124	Rhode Island	102.8	Atlantic 10
220	Rice	97.5	Conference USA
91	Richmond	106.5	Atlantic 10
249	Rider	95.4	Metro Atlantic
313	Robert Morris	90.8	Horizon
66	Rutgers	108.4	Big Ten
303	Sacramento St.	91.5	Big Sky
309	Sacred Heart	90.9	Northeast
162	Saint Joseph’s	100.4	Atlantic 10
60	Saint Louis	109.0	Atlantic 10
21	Saint Mary’s	113.3	West Coast
136	Saint Peter’s	102.0	Metro Atlantic
161	Sam Houston St.	100.5	Western Athletic
208	Samford	98.2	Southern
217	San Diego	97.7	West Coast
31	San Diego St.	111.7	Mountain West
22	San Francisco	112.9	West Coast
297	San Jose St.	92.1	Mountain West
76	Santa Clara	107.9	West Coast
137	Seattle	102.0	Western Athletic
26	Seton Hall	112.2	Big East
247	Siena	95.6	Metro Atlantic
299	SIU Edwardsville	91.9	Ohio Valley
51	SMU	109.6	American Athletic
141	South Alabama	101.8	Sun Belt
92	South Carolina	106.2	Southeastern
326	South Carolina St.	89.6	Mideastern Athletic
191	South Dakota	98.9	Summit
77	South Dakota St.	107.8	Summit
245	South Florida	95.7	American Athletic
260	Southeast Missouri St.	94.8	Ohio Valley
287	Southeastern Louisiana	92.8	Southland
227	Southern	97.2	Southwestern Athletic
130	Southern Illinois	102.5	Missouri Valley
336	Southern Miss	88.7	Conference USA
152	Southern Utah	101.0	Big Sky
81	St. Bonaventure	107.3	Atlantic 10
319	St. Francis NY	90.5	Northeast
318	St. Francis PA	90.6	Northeast
52	St. John’s	109.6	Big East
306	St. Thomas	91.2	Summit
106	Stanford	104.7	Pac-12
120	Stephen F. Austin	103.2	Western Athletic
295	Stetson	92.1	Atlantic Sun
243	Stony Brook	95.9	America East
82	Syracuse	107.3	Atlantic Coast
224	Tarleton St.	97.3	Western Athletic
45	TCU	110.2	Big 12
117	Temple	103.3	American Athletic
11	Tennessee	117.2	Southeastern
314	Tennessee Martin	90.7	Ohio Valley
274	Tennessee St.	94.0	Ohio Valley
261	Tennessee Tech	94.7	Ohio Valley
17	Texas	114.6	Big 12
59	Texas A&M	109.1	Southeastern
271	Texas A&M Corpus Chris	94.2	Southland
211	Texas Southern	98.0	Southwestern Athletic
147	Texas St.	101.5	Sun Belt
13	Texas Tech	116.9	Big 12
250	The Citadel	95.3	Southern
65	Toledo	108.5	Mid-American
84	Towson	107.2	Colonial Athletic
194	Troy	98.7	Sun Belt
101	Tulane	105.3	American Athletic
153	Tulsa	100.9	American Athletic
46	UAB	110.1	Conference USA
219	UC Davis	97.5	Big West
118	UC Irvine	103.3	Big West
167	UC Riverside	100.0	Big West
268	UC San Diego	94.3	Big West
133	UC Santa Barbara	102.5	Big West
97	UCF	105.8	American Athletic
9	UCLA	117.7	Pac-12
239	UMass Lowell	96.1	America East
237	UMBC	96.2	America East
209	UMKC	98.1	Summit
229	UNC Asheville	97.1	Big South
179	UNC Greensboro	99.6	Southern
186	UNC Wilmington	99.1	Colonial Athletic
93	UNLV	106.1	Mountain West
34	USC	111.4	Pac-12
290	USC Upstate	92.7	Big South
225	UT Arlington	97.2	Sun Belt
307	UT Rio Grande Valley	91.1	Western Athletic
108	Utah	104.1	Pac-12
58	Utah St.	109.2	Mountain West
125	Utah Valley	102.8	Western Athletic
169	UTEP	99.9	Conference USA
305	UTSA	91.4	Conference USA
197	Valparaiso	98.6	Missouri Valley
78	Vanderbilt	107.6	Southeastern
55	VCU	109.2	Atlantic 10
73	Vermont	108.1	America East
12	Villanova	117.1	Big East
72	Virginia	108.1	Atlantic Coast
29	Virginia Tech	111.8	Atlantic Coast
168	VMI	99.9	Southern
131	Wagner	102.5	Northeast
32	Wake Forest	111.7	Atlantic Coast
113	Washington	103.6	Pac-12
49	Washington St.	109.9	Pac-12
163	Weber St.	100.4	Big Sky
62	West Virginia	108.7	Big 12
302	Western Carolina	91.7	Southern
240	Western Illinois	96.0	Summit
110	Western Kentucky	103.9	Conference USA
323	Western Michigan	89.9	Mid-American
87	Wichita St.	106.8	American Athletic
341	William & Mary	88.0	Colonial Athletic
165	Winthrop	100.1	Big South
30	Wisconsin	111.8	Big Ten
121	Wofford	103.2	Southern
175	Wright St.	99.8	Horizon
74	Wyoming	108.1	Mountain West
39	Xavier	110.9	Big East
146	Yale	101.5	Ivy League
252	Youngstown St.	95.1	Horizon

PiRate Ratings By Conference

America East
Team	Rating
Vermont	108.1
New Hampshire	96.4
UMBC	96.2
UMass Lowell	96.1
Stony Brook	95.9
Hartford	94.3
Binghamton	93.4
Albany	93.4
NJIT	88.6
Maine	85.7
American Athletic
Team	Rating
Houston	118.1
Memphis	112.7
SMU	109.6
Wichita St.	106.8
UCF	105.8
Cincinnati	105.7
Tulane	105.3
Temple	103.3
Tulsa	100.9
East Carolina	99.5
South Florida	95.7
Atlantic 10
Team	Rating
Dayton	109.2
VCU	109.2
Davidson	109.2
Saint Louis	109.0
St. Bonaventure	107.3
Richmond	106.5
George Mason	103.5
Rhode Island	102.8
Saint Joseph’s	100.4
Massachusetts	99.1
Fordham	98.9
George Washington	96.8
La Salle	96.7
Duquesne	93.8
Atlantic Coast
Team	Rating
Duke	118.1
North Carolina	112.2
Virginia Tech	111.8
Wake Forest	111.7
Notre Dame	110.1
Miami FL	109.2
Virginia	108.1
Clemson	107.9
Syracuse	107.3
Florida St.	106.5
Louisville	103.2
N.C. State	102.9
Georgia Tech	101.8
Boston College	101.7
Pittsburgh	99.7
Atlantic Sun
Team	Rating
Liberty	102.7
Jacksonville St.	101.6
Jacksonville	99.8
Bellarmine	98.5
Florida Gulf Coast	98.4
Kennesaw St.	96.9
Eastern Kentucky	95.4
North Florida	94.4
Lipscomb	94.0
Stetson	92.1
North Alabama	91.4
Central Arkansas	89.6
Big 12
Team	Rating
Baylor	119.2
Kansas	118.0
Texas Tech	116.9
Texas	114.6
Oklahoma St.	111.3
Oklahoma	111.0
TCU	110.2
Iowa St.	109.9
West Virginia	108.7
Kansas St.	108.7
Big East
Team	Rating
Villanova	117.1
Connecticut	114.1
Seton Hall	112.2
Providence	111.2
Xavier	110.9
Marquette	110.9
St. John’s	109.6
Creighton	108.3
DePaul	106.1
Butler	103.0
Georgetown	100.3
Big Sky
Team	Rating
Montana St.	101.3
Southern Utah	101.0
Weber St.	100.4
Northern Colorado	98.3
Eastern Washington	97.7
Montana	97.1
Portland St.	95.0
Sacramento St.	91.5
Idaho	89.7
Idaho St.	89.4
Northern Arizona	89.1
Big South
Team	Rating
Longwood	101.2
Winthrop	100.1
Gardner Webb	99.2
Campbell	97.3
UNC Asheville	97.1
High Point	94.9
Presbyterian	93.8
Radford	93.1
USC Upstate	92.7
North Carolina A&T	92.3
Hampton	89.2
Charleston Southern	85.7
Big Ten
Team	Rating
Purdue	117.3
Iowa	116.6
Illinois	115.5
Ohio St.	112.7
Michigan	112.6
Wisconsin	111.8
Michigan St.	111.5
Indiana	111.3
Northwestern	108.7
Rutgers	108.4
Maryland	108.3
Penn St.	107.4
Minnesota	104.9
Nebraska	102.6
Big West
Team	Rating
UC Irvine	103.3
UC Santa Barbara	102.5
Hawaii	100.5
UC Riverside	100.0
Long Beach St.	99.8
Cal St. Fullerton	99.6
UC Davis	97.5
UC San Diego	94.3
Cal St. Bakersfield	94.2
Cal Poly	91.8
Cal St. Northridge	89.6
Colonial Athletic
Team	Rating
Towson	107.2
Hofstra	102.7
Charleston	101.1
Drexel	100.8
Delaware	100.7
UNC Wilmington	99.1
James Madison	97.4
Northeastern	95.7
Elon	94.9
William & Mary	88.0
Conference USA
Team	Rating
UAB	110.1
North Texas	108.2
Louisiana Tech	105.1
Western Kentucky	103.9
Middle Tennessee	103.8
Florida Atlantic	102.5
UTEP	99.9
Old Dominion	99.9
Charlotte	99.2
Rice	97.5
Marshall	96.4
FIU	94.9
UTSA	91.4
Southern Miss	88.7
Horizon
Team	Rating
Oakland	99.9
Wright St.	99.8
Cleveland St.	99.7
Northern Kentucky	98.7
Purdue Fort Wayne	97.5
Detroit Mercy	97.2
Youngstown St.	95.1
Illinois Chicago	93.8
Robert Morris	90.8
Milwaukee	89.5
Green Bay	88.6
IUPUI	80.4
Ivy League
Team	Rating
Princeton	104.3
Yale	101.5
Cornell	98.5
Dartmouth	97.9
Penn	97.9
Brown	97.8
Harvard	96.9
Columbia	85.5
Metro Atlantic
Team	Rating
Iona	106.0
Saint Peter’s	102.0
Monmouth	100.7
Niagara	98.5
Marist	98.3
Fairfield	97.3
Siena	95.6
Rider	95.4
Quinnipiac	94.9
Canisius	94.8
Manhattan	94.3
Mid-American
Team	Rating
Toledo	108.5
Buffalo	104.0
Ohio	103.8
Kent St.	102.3
Akron	101.6
Miami OH	95.9
Ball St.	94.8
Bowling Green	94.2
Northern Illinois	92.2
Eastern Michigan	90.9
Central Michigan	90.5
Western Michigan	89.9
Mideastern Athletic
Team	Rating
Norfolk St.	99.5
Howard	95.9
North Carolina Central	92.5
Morgan St.	92.1
Coppin St.	90.7
Maryland Eastern Shore	90.7
South Carolina St.	89.6
Delaware St.	81.6
Missouri Valley
Team	Rating
Loyola Chicago	112.0
Missouri St.	108.2
Drake	106.6
Northern Iowa	105.6
Bradley	105.2
Southern Illinois	102.5
Illinois St.	98.8
Valparaiso	98.6
Indiana St.	96.8
Evansville	90.8
Mountain West
Team	Rating
San Diego St.	111.7
Boise St.	110.6
Colorado St.	110.4
Utah St.	109.2
Wyoming	108.1
Fresno St.	107.3
UNLV	106.1
Nevada	103.6
New Mexico	100.1
Air Force	94.5
San Jose St.	92.1
Northeast
Team	Rating
Wagner	102.5
Bryant	98.6
LIU	96.2
Mount St. Mary’s	95.9
Merrimack	93.2
Sacred Heart	90.9
St. Francis PA	90.6
St. Francis NY	90.5
Central Connecticut	86.9
Fairleigh Dickinson	86.5
Ohio Valley
Team	Rating
Murray St.	110.6
Belmont	107.4
Morehead St.	102.7
Southeast Missouri St.	94.8
Tennessee Tech	94.7
Tennessee St.	94.0
Austin Peay	92.5
SIU Edwardsville	91.9
Tennessee Martin	90.7
Eastern Illinois	82.7
Pac-12
Team	Rating
Arizona	120.8
UCLA	117.7
USC	111.4
Washington St.	109.9
Oregon	108.8
Colorado	108.2
Arizona St.	106.5
Stanford	104.7
Utah	104.1
Washington	103.6
California	102.4
Oregon St.	98.0
Patriot League
Team	Rating
Colgate	103.5
Navy	99.8
Boston University	98.3
Loyola MD	94.4
Army	92.8
Lehigh	92.0
Lafayette	90.6
American	89.5
Bucknell	88.8
Holy Cross	87.1
Southeastern
Team	Rating
Kentucky	119.4
Auburn	118.4
Tennessee	117.2
LSU	114.9
Arkansas	114.5
Alabama	113.6
Florida	110.5
Mississippi St.	109.9
Texas A&M	109.1
Vanderbilt	107.6
South Carolina	106.2
Mississippi	105.6
Missouri	101.6
Georgia	98.5
Southern
Team	Rating
Furman	107.2
Chattanooga	107.0
Wofford	103.2
VMI	99.9
UNC Greensboro	99.6
East Tennessee St.	99.1
Mercer	98.5
Samford	98.2
The Citadel	95.3
Western Carolina	91.7
Southland
Team	Rating
Nicholls St.	98.2
New Orleans	94.4
Texas A&M Corpus Chris	94.2
Southeastern Louisiana	92.8
McNeese St.	90.5
Northwestern St.	88.7
Houston Baptist	87.5
Incarnate Word	85.3
Southwestern Athletic
Team	Rating
Texas Southern	98.0
Southern	97.2
Alcorn St.	93.9
Jackson St.	93.3
Prairie View A&M	92.7
Florida A&M	91.0
Grambling St.	90.8
Alabama St.	89.3
Alabama A&M	89.1
Bethune Cookman	88.2
Arkansas Pine Bluff	84.0
Mississippi Valley St.	81.2
Summit
Team	Rating
South Dakota St.	107.8
Oral Roberts	101.8
North Dakota St.	100.6
South Dakota	98.9
UMKC	98.1
Western Illinois	96.0
Denver	91.8
St. Thomas	91.2
North Dakota	86.7
Nebraska Omaha	86.4
Sun Belt
Team	Rating
South Alabama	101.8
Texas St.	101.5
Georgia St.	101.2
Appalachian St.	100.8
Coastal Carolina	100.8
Louisiana	99.5
Arkansas St.	98.9
Troy	98.7
UT Arlington	97.2
Georgia Southern	95.3
Louisiana Monroe	94.4
Little Rock	90.3
West Coast
Team	Rating
Gonzaga	124.6
Saint Mary’s	113.3
San Francisco	112.9
BYU	109.3
Santa Clara	107.9
Portland	99.3
Loyola Marymount	99.0
San Diego	97.7
Pepperdine	93.7
Pacific	93.4
Western Athletic
Team	Rating
New Mexico St.	105.8
Grand Canyon	105.3
Stephen F. Austin	103.2
Utah Valley	102.8
Seattle	102.0
Abilene Christian	102.0
Sam Houston St.	100.5
Cal Baptist	98.1
Tarleton St.	97.3
Dixie St.	92.9
UT Rio Grande Valley	91.1
Chicago St.	86.8
Lamar	86.7

Coming Later Today–Updated Bracketology

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Saturday, March 5, 2022

Saturday’s Conference Tournaments
Atlantic Sun Semifinals
Higher Seed at Home
Home	Visitor	Spread
Jacksonville St.	Jacksonville	4.9
Liberty	Bellarmine	7.5
Big South Conference–Semifinals
Charlotte
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Longwood	USC Upstate	7.7
Winthrop	Gardner-Webb	1.0
Colonial Athletic Association–1st Round
Washington, D.C.
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
William & Mary	Northeastern	-7.7
Missouri Valley Conference–Semifinals
St. Louis (Arch Madness)
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Northern Iowa	Loyola (Chi.)	-5.3
Missouri St.	Drake	1.8
Northeast Conference–Semifinals
Higher Seed at Home
Home	Lower Seed	Spread
Bryant	Mount St. Mary’s	5.6
Ohio Valley Conference–CHAMPIONSHIP
Evansville, IN
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Murray St.	Morehead St.	8.2
Southern Conference–Quarterfinals
Asheville, NC
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Chattanooga	The Citadel	11.5
Wofford	VMI	3.8
Furman	Mercer	8.5
Samford	UNC Greensboro	-1.8
Summit League–Quarterfinals
Sioux Falls, SD
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
South Dakota St.	Omaha	22.4
Kansas City	South Dakota	0.1
North Dakota St.	Denver	8.1
Oral Roberts	Western Illinois	5.3
Sun Belt Conference–Quarterfinals
Pensacola, FL
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
Texas St.	Louisiana	2.9
Troy	Little Rock	8.9
Georgia St.	Arkansas St.	1.9
Appalachian St.	Georgia Southern	5.2
West Coast Conference–Quarterfinals
Las Vegas
Higher Seed	Lower Seed	Spread
San Francisco	BYU	2.9
Santa Clara	Portland	7.7

Saturday’s Regularly Scheduled Games
Home	Visitor	Spread
Wichita St.	East Carolina	11.9
Dayton	Davidson	2.4
Saint Joseph’s	Rhode Island	-0.4
Fordham	George Washington	5.2
Duquesne	La Salle	-0.8
Saint Louis	VCU	3.4
George Mason	Massachusetts	9.4
Louisville	Virginia	-3.0
Georgia Tech	Boston College	2.7
Syracuse	Miami (Fla.)	1.1
Clemson	Virginia Tech	-2.2
Florida St.	North Carolina St.	6.7
Notre Dame	Pittsburgh	15.3
Duke	North Carolina	11.7
West Virginia	TCU	0.8
Oklahoma St.	Texas Tech	-3.8
Kansas	Texas	6.4
Kansas St.	Oklahoma	0.9
Baylor	Iowa St.	14.1
Butler	Villanova	-13.9
Creighton	Seton Hall	-1.1
Connecticut	DePaul	13.1
Xavier	Georgetown	15.1
Marquette	St. John’s	4.5
Idaho	Northern Arizona	3.4
Eastern Washington	Portland St.	5.9
Montana St.	Northern Colorado	7.0
Weber St.	Southern Utah	2.7
Montana	Sacramento St.	10.8
Purdue	Indiana	11.5
Cal St. Bakersfield	UC Irvine	-9.3
Long Beach St.	UC Riverside	2.8
Cal St. Fullerton	UC Davis	5.7
Cal St. Northridge	Hawaii	-10.5
Cal Poly	UC San Diego	-1.4
Old Dominion	Middle Tennessee	-3.2
Florida Atlantic	Florida International	12.7
UTSA	Rice	-6.5
UTEP	North Texas	-8.9
Western Kentucky	Marshall	12.1
UAB	Louisiana Tech	7.9
Southern Miss.	Charlotte	-12.1
Harvard	Dartmouth	3.6
Columbia	Cornell	-14.5
Pennsylvania	Princeton	-3.9
Yale	Brown	6.8
Saint Peter’s	Fairfield	7.9
Niagara	Marist	0.3
Iona	Quinnipiac	16.3
Canisius	Siena	1.4
Rider	Monmouth	-5.0
Wyoming	Fresno St.	4.0
Colorado St.	Boise St.	3.1
Nevada	San Diego St.	-6.7
New Mexico	UNLV	-5.5
Arizona St.	Stanford	4.7
Washington St.	Oregon	3.4
Arizona	California	23.1
Washington	Oregon St.	10.6
Utah	Colorado	-0.8
UCLA	USC	10.3
Tennessee	Arkansas	6.1
LSU	Alabama	3.9
Auburn	South Carolina	16.8
Florida	Kentucky	-7.1
Missouri	Georgia	6.7
Mississippi	Vanderbilt	1.0
Texas A&M	Mississippi St.	2.0
Northwestern St.	Southeast Louisiana	-2.5
Nicholls St.	New Orleans	7.2
Incarnate Word	Texas A&M-CC	-10.1
Houston Baptist	McNeese St.	-1.7
Florida A&M	Bethune-Cookman	5.6
Jackson St.	Mississippi Valley St.	18.5
Alabama St.	Grambling	0.3
Alabama A&M	Southern	-7.8
Texas Southern	Prairie View A&M	10.1
Alcorn St.	Arkansas-Pine Bluff	15.8
Seattle	Chicago State	23.1
Lamar	California Baptist	-12.6
Grand Canyon	Dixie State	17.5
UT Rio Grande Valley	Stephen F. Austin	-11.2
Abilene Christian	Tarleton	8.5
New Mexico St.	Utah Valley	5.2

PiRate Ratings College Basketball Spreads

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Home	Visitor	Spread
St. Bonaventure	Saint Louis	0.3
VCU	Davidson	3.9
Notre Dame	Florida St.	-6.7
Clemson	Pittsburgh	5.1
Louisville	Virginia	-0.9
North Carolina	Duke	3.1
UMBC	UMass-Lowell	6.5
Vermont	Hartford	8.7
Wichita St.	South Florida	10.0
West Virginia	Oklahoma St.	4.3
Kansas St.	Iowa St.	1.4
Connecticut	Georgetown	8.6
Providence	Villanova	-5.8
Creighton	Butler	12.5
St. John’s	Seton Hall	0.9
Marquette	Xavier	-0.2
Montana St.	Sacramento St.	3.8
Weber St.	Northern Colorado	10.0
Portland St.	Southern Utah	-2.8
Minnesota	Rutgers	-0.4
Purdue	Indiana	5.9
Ohio St.	Illinois	-1.7
UC Davis	Hawaii	0.3
Cal St. Northridge	UC-Riverside	-10.2
Long Beach St.	UC-Irvine	-9.8
UC San Diego	Cal St. Fullerton	3.2
UCSB	Cal Poly	22.6
Marshall	Charlotte	14.2
Western Kentucky	Old Dominion	8.3
North Texas	UAB	6.4
Elon	Towson	4.2
William & Mary	UNC-Wilmington	-2.9
Delaware St.	Morgan St.	-11.3
Loyola (Chi.)	Indiana St.	10.8
Drake	Missouri St.	3.9
Fresno St.	Utah St.	-10.5
Wyoming	UNLV	0.2
Bryant	Sacred Heart	9.7
Wagner	Mount St. Mary’s	3.4
Belmont	Morehead St.	4.8
Utah	Arizona St.	2.8
UCLA	USC	-2.8
Navy	Loyola (MD)	7.1
Colgate	Boston U	14.3
Lafayette	Bucknell	3.6
Army	American	4.4
Kentucky	South Carolina	6.4
Auburn	Mississippi St.	2.8
Georgia	Alabama	-9.4
Missouri	LSU	-0.5
Arkansas	Texas A&M	16.1
Ole Miss	Vanderbilt	5.8
Prairie View	Alcorn St.	9.9
Jackson St.	Alabama St.	12.6
Texas Southern	Southern	4.9
Grambling	Alabama A&M	5.7
UNCG	The Citadel	9.7
Chattanooga	East Tennessee St.	-1.7
Wofford	Mercer	1.7
Furman	VMI	5.0
Northwestern St.	Central Arkansas	2.9
Abilene Christian	Incarnate Word	19.5
McNeese St.	Lamar	-0.2
Houston Baptist	Texas A&M-CC	4.2
Sam Houston St.	Stephen F. Austin	1.6
New Orleans	Southeast Louisiana	6.2
South Dakota St.	Omaha	16.2
South Dakota	Western Illinois	10.3
Louisiana	South Alabama	2.6
Georgia St.	Arkansas St.	8.5
Coastal Carolina	Troy	10.3
Texas St.	Appalachian St.	5.8
UT Rio Grande Valley	Tarleton St.	5.3
Dixie St.	New Mexico St.	-10.4
Grand Canyon	Utah Valley	8.3
California Baptist	Seattle	2.3
Saint Mary’s	Loyola Marymount	0.1
Pepperdine	Santa Clara	3.2

Conference Tournament Update

Today’s Conference Tournament Games

America East Semifinals

6 U Mass-Lowell at 1 Maryland-Baltimore Co.

4 Hartford at 2 Vermont

Atlantic 10 Semifinals (Richmond)

1 St. Bonaventure vs. 4 Saint Louis

2 VCU vs. 3 Davidson

Colonial Athletic 1st Round (@ James Madison)

8 Elon vs. 9 Towson

7 William & Mary vs. 10 UNC-Wilmington

Missouri Valley Semifinals at Saint Louis

1 Loyola (Chi.) vs. 4 Indiana St.

2 Drake vs. 3 Missouri St.

Northeast Semifinals

4 Mount St. Mary’s at 1 Wagner

3 Sacred Heart at 2 Bryant

Ohio Valley Championship Game at Evansville

1 Belmont vs. 2 Morehead St. — 8 PM EST on ESPN2

Southern Quarterfinals at Asheville

1 UNC-Greensboro vs. 8 The Citadel

4 Chattanooga vs. 5 East Tennessee St.

2 Wofford vs. 7 Mercer

3 Furman vs. 6 VMI

Summit Quarterfinals 1st 2 Games at Sioux Falls

1 South Dakota St. vs. 8 Omaha

2 South Dakota vs. 7 Western Illinois

Sun Belt Quarterfinals at Pensacola

1E Georgia St. vs. 4W Arkansas St.

2W Louisiana vs. 3E South Alabama

1W Texas St. vs. 4E Appalachian St.

2E Coastal Carolina vs. 6E Troy

West Coast Quarterfinals at Las Vegas

4 Saint Mary’s vs. 5 Loyola Marymount

3 Pepperdine vs. 7 Santa Clara

Automatic Qualifiers

Liberty — Atlantic Sun 22-5

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 9 Update

Three More Tickets Punched

Horizon League Championship

Butler 59  Milwaukee 44

 The Bulldogs held Milwaukee to 30% shooting from the field, and Matt Howard connected on seven of nine shots to pace Butler with 18 points, as the defending National Final runner-up earned another spot in the Big Dance.

 Summit League Championship

Oakland 90  Oral Roberts 76 

The Golden Grizzlies displayed a great offensive show with the aid of numerous first half steals by Drew Valentine and Reggie Hamilton to build a double-digit lead by the break.  After withstanding an early second half run by the Golden Eagles, Oakland pulled away to win the automatic bid.  

Keith Benson topped Oakland with 28 points and 14 rebounds.  Hamilton added 25 with six assists, while Will Hudson recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Sunbelt Conference Championship

U A L R  64  North Texas  63 

The Trojans won their first Sunbelt Championship and earned their first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 1990.

 

SBC Player of the Year Solomon Bozeman drove from the backcourt to the left side of the top of the key and drained a three-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining to give UALR the decisive points.  Bozeman scored a game-high 20 points. 

North Texas had led by seven points with less than two minutes to go, but the Mean Green wilted under the Trojan pressure defense.  With one last chance to try to win, UNT committed a turnover on the inbounds pass. 

11 Automatic Qualifiers To Date

Team	Conference	Record
Arkansas-Little Rock	Sunbelt	19-16
Belmont	Atlantic South	30-4
Butler	Horizon	23-9
Gonzaga	West Coast	24-9
Indiana State	Missouri Valley	20-13
Morehead State	Ohio Valley	24-9
Oakland	Summit	25-9
Old Dominion	Colonial	27-6
St. Peter’s	Metro Atlantic	20-13
UNC-Asheville	Big South	19-13
Wofford	Southern	21-12

 

Two Tickets To Be Punched Tonight

Big Sky Tournament Championship @ 9PM ET On ESPN2

#2 Montana (21-9) at #1 Northern Colorado (20-10)

 

Semifinal Round

Montana 57  Weber State 40

Northern Colorado 73  Northern Arizona 70

 

These two split their regular season series with Northern Colorado winning 63-45 in Greeley, and Montana winning 55-42 in Missoula.  Tonight’s game will be played at Butler-Hancock Hall in Greeley, so Northern Colorado will enjoy the home court advantage. 

This game is a great study in contrasts.  Northern Colorado is a quicker team, but Montana is a stronger team.  Northern Colorado has one exceptionally dominant player, while Montana has more, albeit less exceptional, weapons.

 

The Bears’ offense runs through 6-1 senior guard Devon Beitzel.  Beitzel averages a league-best 21 points per game, and he is deadly at the free throw line, where he connects on 91% of his tosses. 

The rest of the team collectively shoots under 41% from the field and commits more turnovers than assists, so if the Grizzlies can stop Beitzel, or at least limit his touches, they have a chance of defending their crown.

 

Montana has the dominant big man in the conference in 6-11/260 senior center Brian Qvale.  If the Grizzlies can keep this game a half-court affair, they stand a great chance of winning with Qvale plugging the middle on defense and controlling the boards at both ends of the court.  Qvale averages 15 points and nine boards a game, and he had a double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds in the semifinal round.  Montana likes to limit possessions, so those numbers are even more impressive than they look. 

In the win over UNC, Montana held the Bears to 23.3% shooting, while they shot just 32.6% in the loss at Greeley.

 

It is our opinion that the visiting number two seed will pull off the mild upset over the host numbone seed, but it is not a strong feeling. 

 Northeast Conference Tournament Championship @ 7PM ET On ESPN2

#3 Robert Morris (18-13) at #1 Long Island (26-5)

Semifinal Round

Long Island 69  Central Connecticut 67

Robert Morris 64  Quinnipiac 62

Brooklyn has not been this excited over one of their own sports teams since the Dodgers won the 1955 World Series.  Long Island is one of the most exciting teams in the nation, and their 26-5 record has throngs of Brooklynites cramming into the Wellness, Recreation, and Athletic Center.  The WRAC holds just 2,500 seats, but you can bet that more than that amount will find their way into the game tonight, as they “Pack the WRAC.” 

Those fans will be converging to the corner of Ashland and Dekalb tonight, dressed in all white, to watch what could be a blowout win for their team.   

LIU is on a roll.  The Blackbirds have won 12 games in a row (longest current streak in the nation) and 20 of their previous 21 games.  They average almost 83 points per game.  The Blackbirds have exceptional depth with eight players capable of scoring 15 or more points. 

 

The Blackbirds pose difficult matchups with their roster, as they rely on quick guards and medium-sized forwards with great leaping ability to play at a fast pace.  There is no center on the roster, but the two 6-7 forwards have controlled the boards in most games this year. 

Those forwards are Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere, who team up for 25.4 points and 15.7 rebounds per game.

 5-10 backup guard Jason Brickman plays just 22 minutes per game, but he leads the team with 5.3 assists per game.  When he comes in the game, the pace picks up, and the Blackbirds shoot a lot of threes in transition.

 

Robert Morris is definitely not cannon fodder.  The Colonials are the two-time defending NEC Tournament champions, and they believe they can three peat even on the road in hostile conditions. 

The Colonials have won eight games in a row, relying on a stellar defense that limits possessions and pressures the guards.  They are missing their leading scorer, as 5-9 guard Karon Abraham’s season ended two weeks ago with a torn Achilles Tendon.  On the positive side, Abraham missed RMU’s win at LIU on December 2, as he was serving a multi-game suspension. 

Velton Jones and Russell Johnson will have to shine tonight for the Colonials to pull off the upset.  The duo are the only double figure scorers left, but both shoot less than 39% from the field. 

Without Abraham, RMU shoots just 33.7% from behind the arc, so the only way they can possibly win tonight is to replicate the formula that was successful more than three months ago—control the tempo and prevent LIU from getting off any uncontested three-pointers. 

We believe this game will begin slowly with RMU taking the lead in the early stages.  Somewhere in the first half, LIU will go on one of their patented runs and gain the lead.  Then, a second spurt will give them a commanding lead.  RMU might cut into that lead, but we believe in the end, the Blackbirds will be celebrating at the WRAC.  We do not believe the Brooklynites will be crying “Wait ‘Til Next Year.”  This will be like October of 1955 in the borough.

 

Yesterday’s Other Tournament Results

Atlantic 10 Conference

First Round

LaSalle 75  St. Bonaventure 73  2ot

St. Joseph’s 71  George Washington 59  ot

Rhode Island 70  St. Louis 61

Dayton 78  U Mass 50

 

Big East Conference

First Round

Connecticut 97  DePaul 71

Rutgers 76  Seton Hall 70 ot

South Florida 70  Villanova 69

Marquette 87  Providence 66 

M A C

First Round

Bowling Green 74  Northern Illinois 54

Ohio U 74  Toledo 57

Akron 67  Eastern Michigan 53

Buffalo 64  Central Michigan 50

 

M E A C

First Round

MD-Eastern Shore 87  F A M U 85  2ot

S. C. State 64  Delaware State 59 

Ivy League Playoff Set

Princeton defeated rival Penn 70-58 last night in Philadelphia, forcing a one-game playoff for the Ivy League’s automatic berth.  Princeton (24-6) will take on co-champion Harvard (23-5) Saturday afternoon at 4PM Eastern Time.  The game will be played at Yale University in New Haven, CT, and it can be seen live on ESPN3.com.

Princeton has appeared in all seven Ivy League tiebreaking playoff games in the history of the league.  This is Harvard’s first Ivy League basketball championship of any kind.  The Crimson last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1946. 

There is a chance that the loser of this game could hold a slim chance of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Harvard is ranked #35 in the RPI, while Princeton is ranked #49.  Harvard has two wins over top 50 teams as well as three losses.  Their biggest win was at Boston College.  Princeton has just one win against the top 50 and two losses.  For the Ivy to earn two bids, the Tigers have to win Saturday and hope Harvard’s high RPI is enough to earn the second bid. 

Conference Tournaments In Action Today

Big 12 Conference

Tournament Site: Kansas City

1^st Round Games

#8 Nebraska (19-11) vs. #9 Oklahoma State (18-12)  12:30 PM ET

#5 Colorado (19-12) vs. #12 Iowa State (16-15)  3 PM ET

#7 Baylor (18-12) vs. #10 Oklahoma (13-17)  7PM ET

#6 Missouri (22-9) vs. #11 Texas Tech (13-18) 9:30 PM ET 

Big East Conference

Tournament Site: New York City

2^nd Round Games

#8 Georgetown (21-9) vs. #9 Connecticut (22-9)  12 Noon ET on ESPN

#5 St. John’s (20-10) vs. #13 Rutgers (15-16)  Approx. 2:15 PM ET on ESPN

#7 Cincinnati (24-7) vs. #15 South Florida (10-22)  7 PM ET on ESPN

#6 West Virginia (20-10) vs. #11 Marquette (19-13)  Approx. 9:15 PM ET on ESPN 

Conference USA

Tournament Site: El Paso, TX

1^st Round Games

#8 East Carolina (16-14) vs. #9 Central Florida (19-10)  1 PM ET

#5 Southern Miss (21-9) vs. #12 Tulane (13-16)  3:30 PM ET

#6 Marshall (21-10) vs. #11 Houston (12-17)  7:30 PM ET

#7 S M U (17-13) vs. #10 Rice (13-17)  10 PM ET 

M E A C

Tournament Site: Winston-Salem, NC

Note: The MEAC has a unique way of scheduling their tournament.  As a result, one first round game will be played today as well as two quarterfinal round games.  The other two quarterfinal round games will be played Thursday. 

1^st Round

#6 Norfolk State () vs. #11 Howard ()  3 PM ET

Quarterfinal Round

#1 Bethune-Cookman (20-11) vs. #9 South Carolina State (10-21)  7 PM ET

#2 Hampton (21-8) vs. #10 Maryland-Eastern Shore (9-21)  9:30 PM ET 

Mountain West Conference

Tournament Site: Las Vegas

1^st Round

#8 Wyoming (10-20) vs. #9 T C U (10-21)  5 PM ET 

Pac-10 Conference

Tournament Site: Los Angeles

1^st Round

#8 Stanford (15-15) vs. #9 Oregon State (10-19)  9 PM ET on Fox Sports Net

#7 Oregon (14-16) vs. #10 Arizona State (12-18)  11:30 PM ET on Fox Sports Net 

Southland Conference

Tournament Site: Katy, TX (Houston Area)

Quarterfinal Round

#2 Northwestern State (LA) (18-13) vs. #7 Texas-San Antonio (16-13)  1 PM ET

#3 Sam Houston (17-12) vs. #6 Stephen F. Austin (18-10)  3:30 PM ET

#1 McNeese State (19-10) vs. #8 Nicholls State (14-13)  7 PM ET

#4 Texas State (15-15) vs. #5 Southeastern Louisiana (15-13)  9:30 PM ET 

S W A C

Tournament Site: Garland, TX (Dallas-Ft. Worth Area) 

Quarterfinal Round

#2 Jackson State (16-14) vs. #7 Prairie View (10-21)  12:30 PM ET

#1 Texas Southern (18-11) vs. #8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-23)  9 PM ET

W A C

Tournament Site: Las Vegas

1^st Round

#5 Hawaii (18-11) vs. #8 San Jose State (15-14)  3 PM ET

#6 Nevada (12-18) vs. #7 Fresno State (14-16)  5:30 PM ET

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 8 Update

 

The Four Newest Dance Invitees

Did you see those conference championship games last night?  Was this the Monday Night Fights or basketball?  There were more cut men and cut women than in your average boxing card.

 

When it is all or nothing for these smaller conferences, you get what we saw last night—teams playing like their lives were on the line.

 

Colonial Athletic Association

Old Dominion 70

Virginia Commonwealth 65

 

Old Dominion 27-6

 

The Monarchs are capable of making a semi-surprise run in the Big Dance.  They lead the nation in rebounding margin, and they can score points in the paint. 

 

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

St. Peter’s 62

Iona 57

 

St. Peter’s 20-13

 

The Peacocks beat Alabama earlier in the season, and their defense could keep them within striking defense in an opening round game, but we cannot see SPC advancing to the second round.

 

Southern Conference

Wofford 77

College of Charleston 67

 

Wofford 21-12

 

The Terriers finally beat the Cougars (we predicted this yesterday), and they will not roll over and play dead in the first round.  This team returns to the Dance for the second consecutive season, and they will not back down.  They may not advance, but they will not be in awe of their heavily favored first round opponent.

 

West Coast Conference

Gonzaga 75

Saint Mary’s 63

 

Gonzaga 24-9

 

This edition of Zags may not be the most talented in the Coach Mark Few era, but they are playing their best ball at the right time.  It will depend on their bracket, but this team has Sweet 16 potential.

 

Three More Invitations Go Out Tonight

By 11:15 PM Eastern Time tonight, we will know the names of three more NCAA Tournament participants.  Let’s break down these games.

 

Horizon League Championship @ 9PM ET on ESPN

Butler (22-9)  at  Milwaukee (19-12)

 

Butler defeated Cleveland State in the semifinal round Saturday evening, while Milwaukee topped Valparaiso.  During the regular season, Milwaukee swept the Bulldogs, winning 76-52 at home and 86-80 in overtime on the road.  The top-seeded Panthers host this game.

 

Both teams are red hot coming into this title match.  Milwaukee has gone 10-1 in their last 11 games, and the only loss was in the Bracketbuster to Buffalo.  Their defense is what got them here, as they shoot only 43% from the field and 65% at the foul line.

 

Three Panthers average double figures in scoring, led by Anthony Hill.  Hill averages just under 16 points per game, but he broke out with a 24-point, 11-rebound performance in the semifinal game against Valpo.  Kaylon Williams is the X-factor for Panthers.  He can score when needed, rebound with the big men, and run the offense.  He recorded a triple-double earlier in the season against Butler (10 points-10 rebounds-10 assists), and he added a double-double in the second win over the Bulldogs.

 

Butler missed Gordon Hayward even more than most experts predicted.  The Bulldogs played a tough pre-conference schedule and limped into February.  With their backs against the wall, they reeled off eight consecutive victories to get to the title game tonight.

 

Most basketball fans know Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack from last year’s team that made the surprise run to the National Championship Game.  The duo has teamed for 32 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this year.  However, it has been the emergence of 6-11 sophomore center Andrew Smith that has allowed Butler to turn things around and look like a force to be reckoned with once again.  Smith averaged 11 points per game over the second half of the season.  In the eight game winning streak, he has averaged 32 minutes per game and pulled down close to eight rebounds per game.  His 63% field goal percentage has forced defenses to stop him first, giving Howard and Mack more room to get open.  Smith was a non-factor in the two games against Milwaukee, and he is the key to tonight’s game.  If he plays 32 minutes and gets double figure points and eight rebounds, Butler will be cutting down the nets yet again.

 

Summit League Championship @ 9PM ET on ESPN2

Site: Sioux Falls, SD

Oakland (24-9)  vs. Oral Roberts (19-14)

 

If you like high-scoring, fast-paced games, you will definitely clear your schedule to view this one.  Oakland is the second best offensive team in the nation, averaging 86 points per game (92 ppg in their last 10 games).  The Grizzlies connect on close to 50% of their field goal attempts, and they tend to hit spurts where they score 10 points in two minutes.  Oral Roberts averages 81 points per game and has no qualms running with Oakland.

 

Both teams are riding major winning streaks entering tonight’s title game.  Oakland has won 17 of their last 18 games, while the Golden Eagles have won 10 in a row.  In the regular season, Oakland won both high-scoring games, but both were nail-biters that went down to the wire. 

 

Oakland has a tall and short combination that has done a lot of the damage on opponents.  6-11 center Keith Benson is the best player in the league.  Benson averages 17.7 points and 10 rebounds per game.  He showed he can do it against the big schools, as he had 17 points and 12 rebounds in a close loss to Michigan State and 26 points and 10 rebounds in a big win at Tennessee. 

 

5-11 guard Reggie Hamilton is a threat to top 20 points any night.  He is quick and can get open without help from screens.

 

Oral Roberts has a star in its own right.  Dominique Morrison averages just under 20 points per game, and he doesn’t need to heave up 25 shots per game to get those points.  Morrison shoots 51.3% from the field, 40% from behind the three-point line, and 78.4% at the foul line.  He scored 56 points in the two games against Oakland.

 

This should be a great game, and we don’t believe Oakland is that much of a favorite.  ORU has been to the Big Dance four times in the last six years, while Oakland is the defending tournament champion.  We expect the winner to top 90 points in this game, and it is too close to call.  We say Oakland has about a 54% chance and Oral Roberts a 46% chance of winning.

 

Sunbelt Conference Championship @ 7PM ET on ESPN2

Site: Hot Springs, AR

 

North Texas (22-10)  vs. U A L R (18-16)

 

On paper this looks like a mismatch, even though the teams finished one game apart in the regular season.  North Texas finished fourth in the West with an 8-8 league mark, while Little Rock finished fifth at 7-9.

 

North Texas was one of the biggest underachievers this season.  The Mean Green returned four starters from their 2010 conference champion team and were expected to win again this year with the best backcourt and one of the best frontcourts in the league.  Instead, a 3-9 swoon in the middle of the season placed them out of contention for the West crown.  Since that awful slide, UNT has recovered with five consecutive victories.

 

6-5 senior guard Tristan Thompson has led the way for the Mean Green in the tournament, scoring 80 points in the first three games.  He has done a lot of the damage at the foul line, where he is 31-35 in Hot Springs, including an unbelievable 20-20 performance in the win over top-seed Florida Atlantic.  Thompson combines a quick move to the basket with a sweet shot from outside.  Beefy forward George Odufuwa averages 11 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and UALR has a tough matchup problem against him.

 

The Trojans dropped both regular season games to North Texas, mostly because they could not compete under the basket.  Their chance to win this game will come down to limiting possessions and trying to win 55-50.  They have won three games in the tournament by getting to the foul line and hitting foul shots, while using the clock and taking 30 seconds to shoot on most possessions.  UALR’s big star in this tournament has been senior guard Solomon Bozeman.  Like Thompson, Bozeman has gotten to the free throw line and made the most of his opportunities.  He has connected on 37 of 42 attempts including an eye-popping 19 of 22 against Middle Tennessee last night.

 

We expect a low-possession, low-scoring game.  There may be fewer than 100 field goal attempts tonight.  North Texas has been there before, while UALR has never won the Sunbelt Conference Tournament.  We think that trend will continue, but it wouldn’t surprise us if this game stays relatively close for the entire 40 minutes.  We could see North Texas winning 60-54.

 

The Other Tournaments In Action Today

 

Atlantic 10 Conference

First Round At Higher Seed Home Court

 

#9 Dayton (19-12) at #8 U Mass (15-14)  9PM ET on CBSC

#12 St. Joseph’s (9-21) at #5 George Washington (17-13)  7PM ET on CBSC

#10 LaSalle (14-17) at #7 St. Bonaventure (16-13)  5 PM ET on CBSC

#11 St. Louis (12-18) at #6 Rhode Island (18-12)  7 PM ET no TV

 

Big East Conference

Madison Square Garden in New York City

 

#16 Depaul (7-23) vs. #9 Georgetown (21-9) 12 Noon ET on ESPN2

#13 Rutgers (14-16) vs. #12 Seton Hall (13-17) Approx. 2:15 PM ET on ESPN2

#15 South Florida (9-22) vs. #10 Villanova (21-10) 7PM ET on ESPNU

#14 Providence (15-16) vs. #11 Marquette (18-13) Approx 9:15 ET on ESPNU

 

Big Sky Conference

Semifinal Round At Higher Seed Home Court

#3 Weber State (18-11) at #2 Montana (20-9)

#4 Northern Arizona (19-11) at #1 Northern Colorado (19-10)

 

Mid-American Conference

1^st Round At Higher Seed Home Court  All Games At 7PM ET

 

#10 Northern Illinois (9-20) at #7 Bowling Green (13-18)

#11 Eastern Michigan (9-21) at #6 Akron (19-12)

#9 Central Michigan (10-20) at #8 Buffalo (17-12)

#12 Toledo (4-27) at #5 Ohio U (17-14)

 

Mideastern Athletic Conference

Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC

 

#9 South Carolina State (9-21) vs. #8 Delaware State (9-20)  9PM ET

#10 Maryland-Eastern Shore (8-21) vs. #7 Florida A&M (12-19)  6:30 PM ET

 

Note: One more 1^st round game Wednesday plus two quarterfinal games

 

 

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 7 Update

NCAA Tournament Qualifier #4

Congratulations to the Indiana State Sycamores, the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champions.  ISU defeated Missouri State Sunday by a score of 60-56, giving them eight wins in their last nine games.  This Sycamore team is not to be confused with the 1979 National Finalists with some guy named Larry Bird doing a lot of the scoring, but ISU (20-13) has enough talent to pull off an upset in the first round.  The last time they were in the Big Dance, ISU upset Oklahoma 70-68 in the first round of the 2001 tourney; they lost 85-68 to Gonzaga in the next round.  The Sycamores lost by nine at Notre Dame and by 13 against Purdue, so they can compete against Top 10 teams.

 

Indiana State joins UNC-Asheville, Belmont, and Morehead State as automatic qualifiers in the NCAA Tournament.

 

Four More Teams To Enter The Dance Party Tonight

The field of automatic qualifiers doubles from four to eight tonight.  Let’s take a look at the four conference championships for Monday.

 

Colonial Athletic Association

Virginia Commonwealth (23-10)  vs. Old Dominion (26-6)

7:00 PM EST on ESPN

 

In the semifinal round, VCU upset top-seed George Mason 79-63, while Old Dominion ousted Hofstra 77-69.  Bubble teams will be cheering hard for ODU because if VCU wins, the CAA could send an extra team to the Dance.  George Mason and ODU are virtually assured at-large spots, but VCU will be College Insiders, CBI or NIT-bound if they lose tonight.

 

ODU has won eight games in a row and 12 of 13.  Big forward Frank Hassell has continued to improve and impress down below, and Notre Dame can tell you how well he plays in the postseason; ODU beat the Irish in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

 

VCU slumped at the end of the regular season, losing four of their final five games (and the one win was in the Bracketbuster) to fall from first to fourth.  The Rams won nine games in a row in the middle of the season, including a road victory over their opponent tonight. 

 

Forward Jamie Skeen will be the key man to watch.  If he can match or beat Hassell point-for-point and rebound-for-rebound, VCU should pull off the victory.  If Hassell wins the battle, then the Monarchs will live up to their preseason billing as best in the league. 

 

If the game comes down to the backcourt, then VCU has the superior tandem there with Bradford Burgess and Joey Rodriguez.  If the battle comes down to the rebounding game, ODU will win and maybe win by 10-20 points.

 

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

St. Peter’s (19-13)  vs.  Iona (22-10)

7:00 PM EST on ESPN2

 

St. Peter’s pulled off the big upset in this tournament, defeating #1-seed Fairfield 62-48 in yesterday’s semifinal round.  Iona slaughtered Rider 83-59 to earn their spot in the championship game.  The Gaels won their opener by 30 over Siena, so they are the clear-cut favorite tonight.

 

St. Peter’s is an experienced team.  The Peacocks’ top four players are seniors—Wesley Jenkins, Jeron Belin, Nick Leon, and Ryan Bacon.  The quartet averages a combined 45 points a game with all four averaging more than 10 points a game.  Their strongest asset is their defensive ability, and teams have a tough time scoring on SPU.  Unfortunately, the Peacocks barely top 40% shooting from the field and less than 64% at the foul line.  To win tonight, they need to connect on at least 45% of their shots and get some second chance opportunities.

 

Iona has the look of a champion.  The Gaels have won nine games in a row by an average margin of 18.6 points per game.  They swept SPU by 18 and 14 in the regular season.  Star forward Michael Glover has recorded 17 double-doubles, and the only thing that could prevent him from making it 18 tonight would be his early exit from the game due to the game being a blowout.

 

As you can surmise, we think Iona will put this game away with a big run about halfway into the opening half after a five to eight-minute period to calm the nerves.

 

Southern Conference

College of Charleston (24-9)  vs.  Wofford (20-12)

9:00 PM EST on ESPN2

 

Semifinal Scores

College of Charleston 63  Furman 58

Wofford 86  Western Carolina 72

 

The top two teams in the league meet for the third time and Charleston won the first two meetings.  The Cougars won the battle on the boards in both games and in turn took several more shots.  Andrew Goudelock was unstoppable in both games, and Wofford must do something to keep the ball out of his hands tonight and prevent him from scoring his average of 23 points per game to have a chance.

 

The Terriers are the defending SoCon Tournament champions, and they were the overwhelming pick to repeat as champions this year.  They will need a repeat of yesterday’s performance to pull off the upset.  Wofford connected on 54% of their field goals, 50% of their three-point attempts, and 80% at the foul line.  Their big three, Noah Dahlman, Jamar Diggs, and Cameron Rundles, teamed for 52 points and 16 rebounds.  Wofford also has excellent depth with three players capable of coming off the bench and scoring points and pulling down rebounds in massive numbers.

 

Charleston proved to be the better team in the regular season sweep, but we tend to believe this night will belong to Wofford.  The Terriers are playing up to their potential, while the Cougars are not. 

 

West Coast Conference

Saint Mary’s (24-7)  vs. Gonzaga (23-9)

9:00 PM EST on ESPN

 

Semifinal Round

Saint Mary’s 73  Santa Clara 64

Gonzaga 71  San Francisco 67

 

This is the game of the night.  We tend to believe both teams have done enough to punch a ticket to the tournament, but still, this will be a hard-fought rivalry game.

 

The teams split their regular season series, both winning close games on the other’s home court.  If you like offense, then this is the game for you.  Both teams routinely top 80 points per game, and both have enjoyed many nights where they shot in excess of 50% from the field.

 

Gonzaga has won eight games in a row, and the Bulldogs utilize great depth to wear down opponents.  They can go 10-deep with very little drop in talent, as no player averages over 14 points per game, and only one tops six rebounds per game. 

 

SMC relies on a trio of talented players in Mickey McConnell, Rob Jones, and Matthew Dellavedova.  They team up to average 43.3 points per game.  McConnell is one of the best outside shooters in the nation, and he is virtually automatic at the charity stripe.

 

This game is a tossup in the truest since, and we expect it to go down to the final minute for the third time this season.  They could not settle it in 40 minutes the last time they faced off, so this has to be considered a 50-50 game.  We will go with Gonzaga’s 50% chance tonight.

 

Continuing Tournaments

America East Conference

Semifinal Round

Boston U. 55  Hartford 49

Stony Brook 69  Vermont 47

 

Championship Game—Saturday, March 12@ 12 Noon on ESPN2

Stony Brook (15-16) at Boston U (20-13)

 

Northeast Conference

Semifinal Round

Long Island 69  Central Connecticut 67

Robert Morris 64  Quinnipiac 62

 

Championship Game—Wednesday, March 9 @ 7PM on ESPN2

Robert Morris (18-13) at Long Island (26-5)

 

Patriot League

Semifinal Round

Lafayette 73  American 71  2ot

Bucknell 66  Lehigh 64

 

Championship Game—Friday, March 11 @ 4:45 PM on ESPN2

Lafayette (13-18) at Bucknell (24-8)

 

Summit League

Quarterfinal Round

South Dakota State  85  I P F W  75

I U P U I  79  Missouri-KC  55 

 

Semifinal Round—Monday, March 7 @ Sioux Falls, SD

Oakland (23-9)  vs.  South Dakota State (19-11) @ 7:00 PM EST

Oral Roberts (18-14)  vs.  I U P U I (19-13) @ 9:30 PM EST

 

Sunbelt Conference

Quarterfinal Round

Western Kentucky 81  Louisiana-Lafayette 76

North Texas 78  Florida Atlantic 64

Middle Tennessee 73  Florida International 38

U A L R  59  Arkansas State 52

 

Semifinal Round—Monday, March 7 @ Hot Springs, AR

Western Kentucky (16-15)  vs. North Texas (21-10) @ 7:00 PM EST

Middle Tennessee (16-15)  vs.  U A L R (17-16) @ 9:30 PM EST

 

Coming Tomorrow: The Big Sky Conference and Horizon League Tournament Championships are decided, and four more conference tournaments begin.  Check back Tuesday afternoon for more coverage.

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 6 Update

Congratulations To Three Champions

Three teams have punched their tickets to the Big Dance.

 

Big South Conference

UNC-Asheville 60  Coastal Carolina 47

 

UNC-Asheville 19-13

 

Atlantic Sun Conference

Belmont 87  North Florida 46

 

Belmont 30-4

 

Ohio Valley Conference

Morehead State 80  Tennessee Tech 73

 

Morehead State 24-9

 

Scores From Other Conference Tournaments

 

America East Conference

Vermont 57  Binghamton 46

Stony Brook 67  Albany 61

Boston U 69  New Hampshire 60

Hartford 66  Maine 63

 

Sunday, March 6 Semifinal Round

Vermont 23-7  vs. Stony Brook 14-16

Boston U. 19-13  vs. Hartford 11-19

 

Big Sky Conference

Weber State 79  Eastern Washington 70

Northern Arizona 65  Montana State 62

 

Tuesday, March 8 Semifinal Round

Montana 20-9  vs. Weber State 18-11

Northern Colorado 19-10  vs. Northern Arizona 19-11

 

Colonial Athletic Association

George Mason 68  Georgia State 45

Virginia Commonwealth 62  Drexel 60

Old Dominion 59  Delaware 50

Hofstra 72  William & Mary 56

 

Sunday, March 6 Semifinal Round

George Mason 26-5  vs.  Virginia Commonwealth 22-10

Old Dominion 25-6  vs. Hofstra 21-10

 

Horizon League

Butler 76  Cleveland State 68

Milwaukee 70  Valparaiso 63

 

Tuesday, March 8 Championship Game

Butler 22-9  vs. Milwaukee 19-12

 

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Fairfield 55  Marist 31

St. Peter’s 70  Loyola (MD) 60

Rider 79  Canisius 64

Iona 94  Siena 64

 

Sunday, March 6 Semifinal Round

Fairfield 24-6  vs. St. Peter’s 18-13

Rider 23-9  vs. Iona 21-10

 

Missouri Valley Conference

Missouri State 60  Creighton 50

Indiana State 61  Wichita State 54

 

Sunday, March 6 Championship Game

Missouri State 25-7  vs. Indiana State 19-13

 

Southern Conference

Western Carolina 77 UNC-Greensboro 66

Wofford 67  Appalachian State 56

Furman 61  Chattanooga 52

College of Charleston 78  Elon 60

 

Sunday, March 6 Semifinal Round

Western Carolina 18-14  vs. Wofford 19-12

Furman 22-9  vs. College of Charleston 23-9

 

Summit League

Oakland 82  Southern Utah 66

Oral Roberts 72  North Dakota State 65

 

Sunday, March 6 Quarterfinal Round Continues

I P F W  18-11  vs. South Dakota State 18-11

I U P U I  18-13  vs. Missouri-Kansas City 16-13

 

Sunbelt Conference

Western Kentucky 66  Louisiana-Monroe 50

North Texas 83  Troy 69

Florida Int’l 53  Denver 49

U A L R  82  South Alabama 68

 

Sunday, March 6 Quarterfinal Round

Louisiana-Lafayette 14-14  vs. Western Kentucky 15-15

Florida Atlantic 21-9  vs. North Texas 20-10

Middle Tennessee 15-15  vs. Florida Int’l  11-18

Arkansas State 17-14  vs. U A L R  16-16

 

West Coast Conference

Santa Clara 76  Loyola Marymount 68

San Francisco 76  Pepperdine 59

 

Sunday, March 6 Semifinal Round

St. Mary’s 23-7  vs. Santa Clara 19-13

Gonzaga 22-9  vs. San Francisco 17-13

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 5 Update 1

Two new conference tournaments begin today (Saturday), but more importantly the first three spots in the Big Dance Card will be filled.

 

All Times EST

Summit League Tournament

Tournament Site: Sioux Falls, SD

Saturday, March 5: Quarterfinal Round

G 1: #1 Oakland vs. #8 Southern Utah  7PM

G 2: #2 Oral Roberts vs. #7 North Dakota State 9:30 PM

 

Sunday, March 6: Quarterfinal Round

G 3 #4 I P F W vs. #5 North Dakota State 7 PM

G 4 #3 I U P U I vs. #6 Missouri-Kansas City 9:30 PM

 

Monday, March 7: Semifinal Round

G 5: G 1 Winner vs. G 3 Winner 7 PM

G 6: G 2 Winner vs. G 4 Winner  9:30 PM

 

Tuesday, March 8: Championship Game at 9PM on ESPN2

G 5 Winner vs. G 6 Winner

 

Hot Team:  Oral Roberts has won eight consecutive games by an average margin of 12.6 points per game.   This includes a key win over IUPUI that clinched the second seed.

 

Oakland enters the tournament riding a five-game winning streak.  The Golden Grizzlies won 15 of their final 16 regular season games.

 

Not Hot:  Missouri-Kansas City lost its last three games, but they were to three of the top four teams in the league.

 

Team Nobody Wants To Play: South Dakota State is only one hour from Sioux Falls, and the Jackrabbits will fill the arena.  Oakland would much rather play four-seed I P F W in the semifinals.  If SDSU wins their quarterfinal game, look for them to give Oakland fits in a semifinal match.

 

Oakland as Favorite:  The Golden Grizzlies finished 17-1 in league play, so they must be considered solid favorites.  Their lone league loss came at IUPUI, and in their 18 conference games they had a +14.2 scoring margin.    

 

Our Pick:  We will stick with the favorite to win here, even though we believe they will struggle to win their semifinal and final game.

 

 

Sunbelt Conference Tournament

Tournament Site: Hot Springs, AR (using Summit Arena and Convention Center Court)

 

Saturday, March 5: Opening Round

G 1: #3E Western Kentucky vs. #6W Louisiana-Monroe  7:45 PM (Convention Center)

G 2: #4W North Texas vs. #5E Troy  7:30 PM (Summit Arena)

G 3: #3W Denver vs. #6E Florida International  9:45 PM   (Summit Arena)

G 4: #4E South Alabama vs. #5W U A L R  10PM (Convention Center)

 

Sunday, March 6: Quarterfinal Round

G 5: G 1 Winner vs. #2W Louisiana-Lafayette  7:30 PM (Summit Arena)

G 6: G 2 Winner vs. #1E Florida Atlantic  7:45 PM (Convention Center)

G 7: G 3 Winner vs. #2E Middle Tennessee  10 PM (Convention Center)

G 8: G 4 Winner vs. #1W Arkansas State  9:45 PM (Summit Arena)

 

Monday, March 7: Semifinal Round (Summit Arena)

G 9: G 5 Winner vs. G 6 Winner  7PM

G10: G 7 Winner vs. G 8 Winner  9:30 PM

 

Tuesday, March 8: Championship Game (Summit Arena)

G11: G 9 Winner vs. G 10 Winner at 7PM on ESPN2

 

Hot Team: Louisiana-Lafayette has won 11 consecutive games, but seven of those wins were by five points or less or in overtime.  The Ragin’ Cajuns defeated both division winners in that stretch

 

Not Hot: Denver dropped from first to third when they lost their last three games and six of their final eight.  The Pioneers had won eight consecutive games in midseason, but they lost their offensive touch down the stretch.

 

Team That Nobody Wants To Play: After starting conference play 0-4, Western Kentucky righted the ship and won eight of their last 12 conference games.  The Hilltoppers greatly underachieved, and with two studs in Steffphon Pettigrew and Sergio Kerusch, WKU can beat anybody in the SBC.

 

Florida Atlantic As Favorite: The Owls started 8-0 in league play before faltering a bit down the stretch.  We do not feel strongly that FAU can win three games in three days.  In fact, we believe they will not even be around for the championship game. 

 

Our Pick: When UL-Lafayette takes on Western Kentucky in the quarterfinal round, we believe the winner of that game will upset FAU in the semifinal round and go on to win the league’s lone bid to the Dance.

 

The First Three Bids Go Out Today

 

The league championship games are on tap for Saturday.  Let’s look at the scores from Friday with the schedule for the three conference championship games.

 

Big South Conference— 4:00 PM on ESPN2

#3 UNC-Asheville (18-13) at #1 Coastal Carolina (28-4)

 

UNCA beat Charleston Southern 72-63 and High Point 62-45.  Coastal Carolina beat Gardner-Webb 83-72 and VMI 89-81

 

Atlantic Sun Conference—6:00 PM on ESPN2

Site: Macon, GA

#1 Belmont (29-4) vs. #6 North Florida (15-18)

 

Belmont defeated Kennesaw State 72-57 and Mercer 80-72.  North Florida defeated Jacksonville 68-64 and East Tennessee 59-55

 

Ohio Valley Conference—8:00 PM on ESPN2

Site: Nashville

#2 Morehead State (23-9) vs. #4 Tennessee Tech (20-11)

 

Morehead State beat Austin Peay 68-49.  Tennessee Tech beat UT-Martin 83-59 and Murray State 64-59.

 

Scores From Other Conference Tournaments

 

Colonial Athletic Association

#9 Georgia State 58  #8 UNC-Wilmington 52

#5 Drexel 75  #12 Towson  69

#7 Delaware 60  #10 Northeastern 58

#11 William & Mary 72  #6 James Madison 68

 

Quarterfinal Round—Saturday

#1 George Mason vs. #9 Georgia State

#4 Virginia Commonwealth vs. #5 Drexel

#2 Old Dominion vs. #7 Delaware

#3 Hofstra vs. #11 William & Mary

 

Horizon League

#3 Cleveland State 73  #6 Wright State 59

#4 Valparaiso 88  #5 Detroit 78

 

Semifinal Round—Saturday

#1 Milwaukee vs. #4 Valparaiso

#2 Butler vs. #3 Cleveland State

 

M A A C

#9 Marist 73  #8 Niagara 61

#7 Siena 68  #10 Manhattan 66 OT

 

Quarterfinal Round—Saturday

#1 Fairfield vs. #9 Marist

#4 St. Peter’s vs. #5 Loyola (MD)

#3 Rider vs. #6 Canisius

#2 Iona vs. #7 Siena

 

Missouri Valley

#1 Missouri State 58  #8 Southern Illinois 56

#5 Creighton 60  #4 Northern Iowa 57

#2 Wichita State 70  #10 Bradley 56

#3 Indiana State 52  #6 Evansville 50

 

Semifinal Round—Saturday

#1 Missouri State vs. #5 Creighton

#2 Wichita State vs. #3 Indiana State

 

Southern Conference

#5N UNC-Greensboro 71  #4S Davidson 64

#3N Appalachian State 65  #6S Georgia Southern 57

#3S Furman 61  #6N Samford 48

#4N Elon 85  #5S Citadel 74

 

Quarterfinal Round—Saturday

#1N Western Carolina vs. #5N UNC-Greensboro

#2S Wofford vs. #3N Appalachian State

#2N Chattanooga vs. #3S Furman

#1S College of Charleston vs. #4N Elon

 

West Coast Conference

#8 Loyola Marymount 72  #5 Portland 68

#6 Pepperdine 84  #7 San Diego 81

 

Quarterfinal Round—Saturday

#4 Santa Clara vs. #8 Loyola Marymount

#3 San Francisco vs. #6 Pepperdine

 

Ivy League Results (Princeton and Harvard)

Harvard 79  Penn 64

Princeton 77  Dartmouth 55

 

Princeton is now 11-1.  Harvard is now 11-2.  The two teams square off in Cambridge tonight.  If Princeton wins, the Tigers clinch the Ivy League title.  If Harvard wins, then Princeton must win at Penn Tuesday night to force a playoff for the Ivy League title.

And They’re Off…

Let’s Start The Partying

 

It may feel like it’s mid-January in most of the nation, but the calendar doesn’t lie.  It’s time to start the sports reality show called “Big Dancing With The Stars; Trying Not To Be The Biggest Loser.”  Yes, the conference tournaments begin to tip-off tonight.

15 conferences begin tournament play in the next four days.  Let’s take a look at the brackets.

America East Conference

Site: Hartford, CT until the Championship Game.  Championship Game on the home court of the higher seed.

Late Note:#5 seed Binghamton has withdrawn from the conference tournament, making this an 8-team tournament that will now begin Saturday.

Saturday, March 6

G1-#1 Stony Brook (21-8) vs. #9 Albany (7-24)

G2-#4 Boston U (17-12) vs. #6 Hartford (8-21)

G3-#2 Vermont (22-9) vs. #8 Maryland-Balt. Co. (4-25)

G4-#3 Maine (19-10) vs. #7 New Hampshire (12-16)

Sunday, March 7

G5-Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner

G6-Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

Saturday, March 13

Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner at higher seed’s home court

Boston U is the hot team as tournament play begins.  The Terriers have an easy first round game thanks to Binghamton pulling out.  Look for a very interesting semifinal match between BU and Stony Brook.

Look for New Hampshire to give Maine a great game and have a great shot at the upset.  Beating Vermont in the next round won’t happen.  The Catamounts have a clear path to the title game, and if Boston can upset Stony Brook, Vermont would host the title game.

Atlantic Sun Conference

Site: Macon, GA

Wednesday, March 3

G1-#1 Lipscomb (17-12) vs. #8 Kennesaw St. (12-19)

G2-#2 Jacksonville (18-11) vs. #7 North Florida (13-17)

Thursday, March 4

G3-#3 Belmont (19-11) vs. #6 Mercer (14-16)

G4-#4 Campbell (19-10) vs. #5 East Tennessee (17-14)

Friday, March 5

Game 1 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner

Saturday, March 6

Semifinal Winners

Lipscomb won its last four games to earn a four-way tie for first.  The Bisons got the top-seed based on head to head results against the other three teams.  Their path to the championship game is not an easy one.  In the opening round, they face a Kennesaw team that gave them fits in both games, earning a split.  

Campbell has the most complete game of any team in this tournament, and they could be the team to beat from their number four seeding.  They also split with Lipscomb, and a possible semifinal match with the Bisons could be the game of the tournament.

Belmont and Jacksonville should handle their first round opponents, and in a semifinal match, the Dolphins have the upper hand when matching up.  A Jacksonville-Campbell final game would be interesting.  Both teams defended their home court in the regular season, winning by double digits.

Big Sky Conference

Site: All games played at higher seed

Saturday, March 6

#6 Portland State (12-17) at #3 Montana State (15-13)

#5 Northern Arizona (14-13) at #4 Montana (19-9)

Tuesday, March 9

Lower Remaining Seed at #1 Weber State (19-9)

Higher Remaining Seed at #2 Northern Colorado (24-6)

Wednesday, March 10

Lower Remaining Seed at Higher Remaining Seed

 

Big South Conference

Site: Quarterfinals at higher seed/Semifinals at Coastal Carolina/Finals at higher seed

Tuesday, March 2

G1-#8 VMI (10-18) at #1 Coastal Carolina (26-5)

G2-#7 Charleston Southern (13-16) at #2 Radford (18-11)

G3-#6 Liberty (15-15) at #3 Winthrop (16-13)

G4-#5 High Point (15-14) at #4 UNC-Asheville (14-15)

Thursday, March 4 (at Coastal Carolina)

Game 1 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner

Friday, March 5

Lower Remaining Seed at Higher Remaining Seed

The top two teams are clearly the two best in this league, as they dispenses of all the competition coming down the stretch.  Radford has a dominating inside player capable of causing matchup problems for a good team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  Keep an eye on Art Parakhouski, a 6-11 hulk from Belarus.  He makes Radford the favorite to meet Coastal Carolina for a great rubber match worth watching.

Colonial Athletic Association

Site: Richmond, VA

Friday, March 5

G1-#8 Towson (9-20) vs. #9 UNC-Wilmington (9-21)

G2-#5 Va. Commonwealth (20-8) vs. #12 Delaware (7-23)

G3-#7 Hofstra (18-13) vs. #10 Georgia State (12-19)

G4-#6 Drexel (16-15) vs. #11 James Madison (12-19)

Saturday, March 6

G5-#1 Old Dominion (23-8) vs. Game 1 Winner

G6-#4 George Mason (17-13) vs. Game 2 Winner

G7-#2 Northeastern (19-11) vs. Game 3 Winner

G8-#3 William & Mary (20-9) vs. Game 4 Winner

Sunday, March 7

Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner

Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner

Monday, March 8

Semifinal Winners

There’s decent parity in this league, and any of the top seven seeds could emerge the victor.  Hofstra is the hottest team in the league, having finished the regular season with six consecutive wins and nine out of ten, including a double digit win at Northeastern.

Old Dominion has a road win against Georgetown this year, and the Monarchs would be a bubble team if they lost in the semifinals or finals.

Horizon League

Site: 1^st Round at Higher Seed/All Others at Indianapolis

Tuesday, March 2

G1-#10 Youngstown (8-21) at #3 Green Bay (20-11)

G2-#9 Illinois-Chicago (8-21) at #4 Milwaukee (18-13)

G3-#8 Loyola (Chi) (14-15) at #5 Cleveland St. (15-16)

G4-#7 Detroit (18-13) at #6 Valparaiso (15-16)

Friday, March 5

G5-Game 1 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

G6-Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner

Saturday, March 6

Butler (26-4) vs. Game 6 Winner

Wright St. (19-11) vs. Game 5 Winner

Tuesday, March 9

Semifinal Winners

It’s all about Butler in this tournament.  The Bulldogs are going dancing win or lose, but they could move up to a number three seed by winning on March 9.  Detroit is the only team that gave Butler any trouble this year, so it could become interesting if the Titans beat Valpo, Green Bay, and Wright State to make it to the finals.

M A A C

Site: Albany, NY

Friday, March 5

G1-#7 Canisius (14-16) vs. #10 Marist (1-28)

G2-#8 Loyola (Md) (13-16) vs. #9 Manhattan (10-19)

Saturday, March 6

G3-#1 Siena (24-6) vs. Game 2 Winner

G4-#2 Fairfield (20-9) vs. Game 1 Winner

G5-#3 Iona (21-9) vs. #6 Niagara (17-14)

G6-#4 St. Peter’s (16-13) vs. #5 Rider (16-15)

Sunday, March 7

Game 3 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner

Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner

Monday, March 8

Semifinal Winners

Siena’s resume does not allow them a Mulligan in this tournament.  The Saints have no signature wins, and they got their hat handed to them in the Bracketbuster game against Butler.  Siena has to win this tournament or it’s the NIT for them this year.

Fairfield gave Siena two close ballgames this year, and it could be hard for the Saints to beat the Stags three times.  

Iona is flying under the radar.  The Gaels won nine in a row in midseason, and they have the talent to make it to Monday night’s game.

Missouri Valley Conference

Site: St. Louis (Arch Madness)

Thursday, March 4

G1-#7 Missouri State (19-11) vs. #10 Evansville (9-20)

G2-#8 Drake (13-18) vs. #9 Southern Illinois (15-14)

Friday, March 5

G3-#1 Northern Iowa (25-4) vs. Game 2 Winner

G4-#2 Wichita State (23-8) vs. Game 1 Winner

G5-#3 Illinois State (21-9) vs. #6 Indiana St. (17-13)

G6-#4 Creighton (16-14) vs. #5 Bradley (15-14)

Saturday, March 6

Game 3 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner

Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner

Sunday, March 7

Semifinal Winners

Northern Iowa won the regular season title by three games, but don’t consider the Panthers an overwhelming favorite.  A good case could be made for any of the top five teams, and nobody wants to play Ninth-seeded Southern Illinois.

This will be a great tournament, and you should make it a point to watch these games if you have access. 

UNI is a pretty safe bet to garner an at-large bid if they don’t win the automatic bid.  Wichita State was once in the discussion for an at-large bid after a 16-2 start, but the shockers finished 7-6.

Northeast Conference

Site: All Games Played at Higher Seed

Thursday, March 4

G1-#8 Monmouth (12-18) at #1 Quinnipiac (21-8)

G2-#7 Cent. Connecticut (12-17) at #2 Robert Morris (20-11)

G3-#6 St. Francis (Pa) (11-18) at #3 Mt. St. Mary’s (15-14)

G4-#5 Fairleigh Dickinson (11-20) at #4 Long Island (13-16)

Sunday, March 7

Game 1 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner at higher seed

Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner at higher seed

Wednesday, March 10

Semifinal Winners at higher seed

Rarely is the number three seed considered the favorite, but in the NEC, Mt. St. Mary’s must be considered just that.  The Mountaineers won their final 10 games, which included victories over the two top seeds.  MSM has been in the tournament title game the last two years, winning in 2008.  Point Guard Jeremy Goode cut down on his turnovers down the stretch and played more like he was capable of playing.  Look for the 5-9 hotshot to play his best and guide the Mountaineers back to the Championship Game, where they are liable to face Quinnipiac.

Bobcat star James Feldeine was held to just four points in the last meeting with MSM; he will be ready for blood in a title match.

Ohio Valley Conference

Site: 1^st Round at higher seed/All Others at Nashville

Tuesday, March 2

G1-#8 Tennessee State (9-22) at #1 Murray State (27-4)

G2-#7 Jacksonville St. (11-18) at #2 Morehead St. (21-9)

G3-#6 Tennessee Tech (14-16) at #3 Austin Peay (17-14)

G4-#5 East. Kentucky (20-11) at #4 East. Illinois (18-11)

Friday, March 5

Game 1 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner

Saturday, March 6

Semifinal Winners

Murray State won 27 games during the regular season, but even if the Racers lose in the title game, they will fall to the NIT.

Morehead State is the defending OVC Champion, and the Eagles have the league’s top player in Kenneth Faried (16.8 ppg/13.0 rpg).  Morehead won 17 of 20 down the stretch including a win over Murray St.

Austin Peay is always a force to be reckoned with in this tournament.  The Governors have been a regular in the championship round.

Patriot League

Site: All Games Played at Higher Seed

Wednesday, March 3

G1-#8 Army (14-14) at #1 Lehigh (19-10)

G2-#7 Holy Cross (8-21) at #2 Bucknell (14-16)

G3-#6 Colgate (10-18) at #3 Lafayette (17-12)

G4-#5 Navy (13-16) at #4 American (10-19)

Sunday, March 7

Game 1 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner at Higher Seed

Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner at Higher Seed

Friday, March 12

Semifinal Winners at Higher Seed

A month ago, Bucknell stood at 6-14 and looked like a possible 20-game loser.  The Bison turned it around and rebounded to go 8-2 down the stretch with a win over Lehigh.  One of the two losses was also to Lehigh, so this does not make Bucknell the favorite.

There is no clear-cut favorite in this league.  In fact, sixth-seeded Colgate has been playing as well an any team as the tournament opens.  The Raiders had Lehigh on the ropes a couple weeks ago before falling short at the end.

Southern Conference

Site: Charlotte

Friday, March 5

G1-#3N Chattanooga (14-17) vs. #6S Ga. Southern (9-22)

G2-#4N UNC-Greensboro (7-22) vs. #5S Furman (13-16)

G3-#3S Davidson (16-14) vs. #6N Elon (8-22)

G4-#4S Citadel (15-15) vs. #5N Samford (11-19)

Saturday, March 6

G5-#1N Appalachian St. (20-11) vs. Game 4 Winner

G6-#1S Wofford (23-8) vs. Game 2 Winner

G7-#2N Western Carolina (21-10) vs. Game 3 Winner

G8-#2S Charleston (20-10) vs. Game 1 Winner

Sunday, March 7

Game 5 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner

Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner

Monday, March 8

Semifinal Winners

With Davidson just a middle of the pack team, the Socon Tournament becomes a wide-open race.  The top four seeds all have the talent to run the table, but Wofford must be considered the favorite.  The Terriers won their final 10 games and 19 of 21, after starting 4-6.

Keep an eye on College of Charleston.  Coach Bobby Cremins has talent at the guard spot, and he knows how to get to the Big Dance.

Summit League

Site: Sioux Falls, SD

Saturday, March 6

G1-#1 Oakland (23-8) vs. #8 Mo.-Kansas City (12-17)

G2-#2 I U P U I (22-9) vs. #7 Western Illinois (13-16)

Sunday, March 7

G3-#3 Oral Roberts (19-12) vs. #6 N. Dakota St. (11-17)

G4-#4 S. Dakota St. (14-15) vs. #5 I P F W (15-14)

Monday, March 8

Game 1 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner

Tuesday, March 9

Semifinal Winners

Oakland’s path to the Championship Game is not all that easy.  Last place UMKC was no pushover, and the Grizzlies didn’t win all that convincingly in the regular season.  A possible semifinal match with the host team, South Dakota State, will be even harder.  The Jackrabbits have the best backcourt in the league, but they are a little weak inside.  That’s where Oakland is strongest with 6-11 center Keith Benson, the league’s top player.

IUPUI won 12 of its final 14 games and blew Oakland off the floor by 24 points.  The Jaguars have an easier path to the title game.

Sunbelt Conference

Site: Hot Springs, AR (in two separate gyms)

Saturday, March 6

G1-#4 Western Kentucky (19-12) VS. #13 New Orleans (8-21)

G2-#5 Arkansas St. (16-13) vs. #12 Ark.-Little Rock (8-21)

G3-#6 Denver (17-12) vs. #11 Florida Int’l (7-24)

G4-#7 UL-Lafayette (13-16) vs. #10 UL-Monroe (11-18)

G5-#8 Fla. Atlantic (14-15) vs. #9 South Alabama (16-14)

Sunday, March 7

G6-#1 Troy (18-11) vs. Game 5 Winner

G7-#2 North Texas (21-8) vs. Game 4 Winner

G8-#3 Middle Tennessee (19-12) vs. Game 3 Winner

G9-Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner

Monday, March 8

Game 6 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner

Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner

Tuesday, March 9

Semifinal Winners

The top four seeds enter this tournament on high notes, but none are higher than Western Kentucky.  The Hilltoppers went 7-7 during the 14-games missed to injury by beefy forward Sergio Kerusch.  WKU defeated Vanderbilt, Murray State, and Mississippi State in the pre-conference schedule, and they could be headed back to the Big Dance for the third year in a row, as they ride a six-game winning streak entering the tournament.

North Texas comes into this tournament on an eight-game winning streak.  The Mean Green edged WKU in overtime during the time Kerusch was out.

Arkansas State is coming into this tournament as a darkhorse, but watch out for Red Wolves.  Former LSU coach John Brady’s squad swept North Texas; both wins were by double digits.  

West Coast Conference

Site: Las Vegas

Friday, March 5

G1-#5 Loyola Marymount (16-14) vs. #8 Pepperdine (7-23)

G2-#6 San Diego (10-20) vs. #7 Santa Clara (11-20)

Saturday, March 6

G3-#3 Portland (19-9) vs. Game 2 Winner

G4-#4 San Francisco (12-17) vs. Game 1 Winner

Sunday, March 7

Gonzaga (24-5) vs. Game 4 Winner

St. Mary’s (24-5) vs. Game 3 Winner

Monday, March 8

Semifinal Winners

For once, this is a three-team race.  Gonzaga swept St. Mary’s and Portland and will more than likely have to face one of the two for the championship.  It’s hard to beat a good team three times in a row, but the Bulldogs have the talent to do so.

St. Mary’s and Portland split a pair of really tight games, so there is no clear cut favorite if they meet in the Semifinals.  The Gaels benefit from getting an extra day off.

If any team from the first day of play has a chance, it is Loyola Marymount.  The Lions beat Gonzaga and Portland in February.  First year coach Max Good took a team picked to be last in the league and brought them home at 7-7 in WCC play.