We will continue to replicate the NCAA Tournament bracket projection from our other website Bubbleteams.com all week through Selection Sunday.
Washington Region
Philadelphia, PA
1-Connecticut
16-FDU/Southern
8-Alabama
9-Northern Iowa
San Diego, CA
5-Washington
12-Florida State
4-Iowa
13-Wisconsin Milwaukee
6-Georgetown
11-California
Greensboro, NC
3-NC
14-Pacific
Dallas, TX
7-Arkansas
10-Seton Hall
2-Texas
15-Northwestern State
Oakland Region
Dallas, TX
1-Memphis
16-Albany
8-Wichita State
9-Kentucky
San Diego, CA
5-Pitt
12-Western Kentucky
4-UCLA
13-Iona
Jacksonville, FL
6-Florida
11-Bucknell
3-George Washington
14-Penn
Dayton, OH
7-Marquette
10-Texas A&M
2-Ohio State
15-Davidson
Minneapolis Region
Greensboro, NC
1-Duke
16-Belmont
8-Indiana
9-Arizona
Auburn Hills, MI
5-Oklahoma
12-NC Wilmington
4-WVU
13-Kent State
Dayton, OH
6-Wisconsin
11-Southern Illinois
3-Tennessee
14-Murray State
Salt Lake City, UT
7-Michigan State
10-UAB
2-Gonzaga
15-Northern Arizona
Atlanta Region
Philadelphia, PA
1-Villanova
16-Delaware State
8-Michigan
9-George Mason
Salt Lake City, UT
5-BC
12-Missouri State
4-Kansas
13-San Diego State
Jacksonville, FL
6-NC State
11-Bradley
3-LSU
14-Winthrop
Auburn Hills, MI
7-Nevada
10-Cincinnati
2-Illinois
15-Oral Roberts
We will continue to tweak the bracket as the week continues. Check back each day for more updates.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Conference Tournament Updates 3/05/06
Updated brackets for every conference tournament (including every major conference tournament) are now available at Bubbleteams.com along with new conference tournament previews and updated scores.
America East:
Vermont pulled off their second straight upset, downing host team and 2 seed Binghamton to advance to the championship game against top seed Albany.
FIRST ROUND
At Events Center
Vestal, N.Y.
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 8 Maryland-Baltimore County 88, No. 9 Stony Brook 70
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 2: No. 2 Binghamton 71, No. 7 Maine 62
Game 3: No. 6 Vermont 64, No. 3 Boston University 61
Game 4: No. 1 Albany 79, No. 8 Maryland-Baltimore County 65
Game 5: No. 5 New Hampshire 66, No. 4 Hartford 62
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 6: No. 6 Vermont 66, No. 2 Binghamton 59
Game 7: No. 1 Albany 67, No. 5 New Hampshire 54
CHAMPIONSHIP
At higher seed
Saturday, March 11
Game 8: No. 1 Albany vs. No. 6 Vermont, Noon ET (ESPN2)
Colonial:
NC Wilmington dispatches Northeastern and advances to the CAA Championship game where they will face Hofstra.
At the Richmond Coliseum
Richmond, Va.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 9 Delaware 52, No. 8 Drexel 49
Game 2: No. 5 Northeastern 74, No. 12 James Madison 56
Game 3: No. 10 Georgia State 72, No. 7 Towson 64
Game 4: No. 6 VCU 62, No. 11 William & Mary 59
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 5: No. 1 UNC Wilmington 69, No. 9 Delaware 56
Game 6: No. 5 Northeastern 71, No. 4 Old Dominion 63
Game 7: No. 2 George Mason 61, No. 10 Georgia State 56, OT
Game 8: No. 3 Hofstra 72, No. 6 VCU 66
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 9: No. 1 UNC Wilmington 69 No. 5 Northeastern 54
Game 10: No. 3 Hofstra 58, No. 2 George Mason 49
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 11: No. 1 UNC Wilmington vs. No. 3 Hofstra, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
MAAC:
St. Peter's upset top seed Manhattan to win their third straight game in the MAAC Tournament and advance to the championship game where they will face Iona.
At Pepsi Arena
Albany, N.Y.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 5 Saint Peter's 80, No. 10 Rider 51
Game 2: No. 7 Niagara 84, No. 8 Fairfield 77
Game 3: No. 9 Canisius 74, No. 6 Loyola, Md. 72
SECOND ROUND
Saturday, March 4
Game 4: No. 5 Saint Peter's 63, No. 4 Siena 62
Game 5: No. 2 Iona 80, No. 7 Niagara 54
Game 6: No. 3 Marist 68, No. 9 Canisius 62
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 7: No. 5 Saint Peter's 84, No. 1 Manhattan 74
Game 8: No. 2 Iona 100 No. 3 Marist 84
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 9: No. 2 Iona vs. No. 5 Saint Peter's, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Mid-Continent:
Valparaiso advances to face top seed Oral Roberts and Chicago State upset UMKC for the right to play IUPUI.
At John Q. Hammons Arena
Tulsa, Okla.
FIRST ROUND
Saturday, March 4
Game 1: No. 1 Oral Roberts 60, No. 8 Western Illinois 53
Game 2: No. 2 IUPUI 69, No. 7 Oakland 63
Sunday, March 5
Game 3: No. 4 Valparaiso 77 No. 5 Southern Utah 66
Game 4: No. 6 Chicago State 75,No. 3 UMKC 66
SEMIFINALS
Monday, March 6
Game 5: No. 1 Oral Roberts vs. No. 4 Valparaiso, 7 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 IUPUI vs. No. 6 Chicago State, 9:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, March 7
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Missouri Valley:
Southern Illinois becomes the first of what should be many teams from the Missouri Valley Conference to earn bids to the NCAA Tournament.
At Savvis Center
St. Louis, Mo.
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 2
Game 1: No. 9 Indiana State 72, No. 8 Drake 63
Game 2: No. 7 Evansville 52, No. 10 Illinois State 45
QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 3
Game 3: No. 1 Wichita State 81, No. 9 Indiana State 63
Game 4: No. 5 Bradley 54, No. 4 Creighton 47
Game 5: No. 2 Southern Illinois 71, No. 7 Evansville 55
Game 6: No. 6 Northern Iowa 57, No. 3 Missouri State 42
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 7: No. 5 Bradley 60, No. 1 Wichita State 52
Game 8: No. 2 Southern Illinois 55, No. 6 Northern Iowa 46, OT
CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 5
Game 9: No. 2 Southern Illinois 59, No. 5 Bradley 46
Northeast:
Monmouth upset 2 seed Central Connecticut to advance to the Northeast Championship game against Fairleigh Dickinson.
At higher seeds
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 2
Game 1: No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson 66, No. 8 Quinnipiac 65
Game 2: No. 2 Central Connecticut 86, No. 7 Sacred Heart 68
Game 3: No. 3 Monmouth 74, No. 6 LIU-Brooklyn 63
Game 4: No. 5 Robert Morris 67, No. 4 Mount Saint Mary's 66
SEMIFINALS
At higher seeds
Sunday, March 5
Game 5: No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson 71 No. 5 Robert Morris 55
Game 6: No. 3 Monmouth 62, No. 2 Central Connecticut 48
CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, March 8
Game 7: No. 3 Monmouth vs. No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Patriot:
The top 2 seeds Bucknell and Holy Cross will advance to the championship game to face each other, yet again.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
At Sojka Pavilion
Lewisburg, Pa.
Game 1: No. 4 American 75, No. 5 Lafayette 62
Game 2: No. 1 Bucknell 59, No. 8 Army 47
At Hart Center
Worcester, Mass.
Game 3: No. 3 Lehigh 48, No. 6 Colgate 44
Game 4: No. 2 Holy Cross 78, No. 7 Navy 50
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
At Sojka Pavilion
Lewisburg, Pa.
Game 5: No. 1 Bucknell 64, No. 4 American 50
At Hart Center
Worcester, Mass.
Game 6: No. 2 Holy Cross 73, No. 3 Lehigh 66
CHAMPIONSHIP
At higher seed
Friday, March 10
Game 7: No. 1 Bucknell vs. No. 2 Holy Cross, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Southern:
Davidson returns to the NCAA Tournament with a rout of Chattanooga.
At North Charleston Coliseum
North Charleston, S.C.
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 2
Game 1: No. 8 Appalachian St. 66, No. 9 Wofford 65
Game 2: No. 10 UNC Greensboro 69, No. 7 Western Carolina 65
Game 3: No. 11 The Citadel 65, No. 6 Furman 53
QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 3
Game 4: No. 8 Appalachian St. 74, No. 1 Georgia Southern 61
Game 5: No. 5 Chattanooga 65, No. 4 College of Charleston 63
Game 6: No. 2 Elon 64, No. 10 UNC Greensboro 61 OT
Game 7: No. 3 Davidson 79, No. 11 The Citadel 73
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 8: No. 5 Chattanooga 78, No. 8 Appalachian St. 75
Game 9: No. 3 Davidson 65, No. 2 Elon 58
CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 5
Game 10: No. 3 Davidson 80, No. 5 Chattanooga 55
Sun Belt:
Denver, South Alabama, Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Lafayette all advance to the conference semifinals.
At the Murphy Center
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: W4 New Orleans 76, E5 Florida International 56
Game 2: E4 Arkansas-Little Rock 72, W5 North Texas 55
Game 3: W6 Troy 107, E3 Arkansas State 83
QUARTERFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 4: W3 Denver 58, E2 Middle Tennessee 57
Game 5: E1 Western Kentucky 80, W4 New Orleans 61
Game 6: W1 South Alabama 78, E4 Arkansas-Little Rock 53
Game 7: W2 Louisiana-Lafayette 62, E3 Arkansas State 59, OT
SEMIFINALS
Monday, March 6
Game 8: W3 Denver vs. W1 South Alabama, 7:30 p.m.
Game 9: E1 Western Kentucky vs. W2 Louisiana-Lafayette, 10 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, March 7
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
West Coast:
Gonzaga needed overtime to defeat San Diego and advance to the WCC finals where they will face Loyola Marymount.
At McCarthey Athletic Center
Spokane, Wash.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 5 San Diego 85, No. 8 Pepperdine 72
Game 2: No. 7 Santa Clara 72, No. 6 Portland 68
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 3: No. 5 San Diego 62, No. 4 San Francisco 59
Game 4: No. 3 Saint Mary's 76, No. 7 Santa Clara 72, OT
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 5: No. 1 Gonzaga 96, No. 5 San Diego 92, OT
Game 6: No. 2 Loyola Marymount 66, No. 3 Saint Mary's 63
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 7: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 Loyola Marymount, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
America East:
Vermont pulled off their second straight upset, downing host team and 2 seed Binghamton to advance to the championship game against top seed Albany.
FIRST ROUND
At Events Center
Vestal, N.Y.
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 8 Maryland-Baltimore County 88, No. 9 Stony Brook 70
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 2: No. 2 Binghamton 71, No. 7 Maine 62
Game 3: No. 6 Vermont 64, No. 3 Boston University 61
Game 4: No. 1 Albany 79, No. 8 Maryland-Baltimore County 65
Game 5: No. 5 New Hampshire 66, No. 4 Hartford 62
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 6: No. 6 Vermont 66, No. 2 Binghamton 59
Game 7: No. 1 Albany 67, No. 5 New Hampshire 54
CHAMPIONSHIP
At higher seed
Saturday, March 11
Game 8: No. 1 Albany vs. No. 6 Vermont, Noon ET (ESPN2)
Colonial:
NC Wilmington dispatches Northeastern and advances to the CAA Championship game where they will face Hofstra.
At the Richmond Coliseum
Richmond, Va.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 9 Delaware 52, No. 8 Drexel 49
Game 2: No. 5 Northeastern 74, No. 12 James Madison 56
Game 3: No. 10 Georgia State 72, No. 7 Towson 64
Game 4: No. 6 VCU 62, No. 11 William & Mary 59
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 5: No. 1 UNC Wilmington 69, No. 9 Delaware 56
Game 6: No. 5 Northeastern 71, No. 4 Old Dominion 63
Game 7: No. 2 George Mason 61, No. 10 Georgia State 56, OT
Game 8: No. 3 Hofstra 72, No. 6 VCU 66
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 9: No. 1 UNC Wilmington 69 No. 5 Northeastern 54
Game 10: No. 3 Hofstra 58, No. 2 George Mason 49
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 11: No. 1 UNC Wilmington vs. No. 3 Hofstra, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
MAAC:
St. Peter's upset top seed Manhattan to win their third straight game in the MAAC Tournament and advance to the championship game where they will face Iona.
At Pepsi Arena
Albany, N.Y.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 5 Saint Peter's 80, No. 10 Rider 51
Game 2: No. 7 Niagara 84, No. 8 Fairfield 77
Game 3: No. 9 Canisius 74, No. 6 Loyola, Md. 72
SECOND ROUND
Saturday, March 4
Game 4: No. 5 Saint Peter's 63, No. 4 Siena 62
Game 5: No. 2 Iona 80, No. 7 Niagara 54
Game 6: No. 3 Marist 68, No. 9 Canisius 62
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 7: No. 5 Saint Peter's 84, No. 1 Manhattan 74
Game 8: No. 2 Iona 100 No. 3 Marist 84
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 9: No. 2 Iona vs. No. 5 Saint Peter's, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Mid-Continent:
Valparaiso advances to face top seed Oral Roberts and Chicago State upset UMKC for the right to play IUPUI.
At John Q. Hammons Arena
Tulsa, Okla.
FIRST ROUND
Saturday, March 4
Game 1: No. 1 Oral Roberts 60, No. 8 Western Illinois 53
Game 2: No. 2 IUPUI 69, No. 7 Oakland 63
Sunday, March 5
Game 3: No. 4 Valparaiso 77 No. 5 Southern Utah 66
Game 4: No. 6 Chicago State 75,No. 3 UMKC 66
SEMIFINALS
Monday, March 6
Game 5: No. 1 Oral Roberts vs. No. 4 Valparaiso, 7 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 IUPUI vs. No. 6 Chicago State, 9:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, March 7
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Missouri Valley:
Southern Illinois becomes the first of what should be many teams from the Missouri Valley Conference to earn bids to the NCAA Tournament.
At Savvis Center
St. Louis, Mo.
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 2
Game 1: No. 9 Indiana State 72, No. 8 Drake 63
Game 2: No. 7 Evansville 52, No. 10 Illinois State 45
QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 3
Game 3: No. 1 Wichita State 81, No. 9 Indiana State 63
Game 4: No. 5 Bradley 54, No. 4 Creighton 47
Game 5: No. 2 Southern Illinois 71, No. 7 Evansville 55
Game 6: No. 6 Northern Iowa 57, No. 3 Missouri State 42
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 7: No. 5 Bradley 60, No. 1 Wichita State 52
Game 8: No. 2 Southern Illinois 55, No. 6 Northern Iowa 46, OT
CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 5
Game 9: No. 2 Southern Illinois 59, No. 5 Bradley 46
Northeast:
Monmouth upset 2 seed Central Connecticut to advance to the Northeast Championship game against Fairleigh Dickinson.
At higher seeds
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 2
Game 1: No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson 66, No. 8 Quinnipiac 65
Game 2: No. 2 Central Connecticut 86, No. 7 Sacred Heart 68
Game 3: No. 3 Monmouth 74, No. 6 LIU-Brooklyn 63
Game 4: No. 5 Robert Morris 67, No. 4 Mount Saint Mary's 66
SEMIFINALS
At higher seeds
Sunday, March 5
Game 5: No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson 71 No. 5 Robert Morris 55
Game 6: No. 3 Monmouth 62, No. 2 Central Connecticut 48
CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, March 8
Game 7: No. 3 Monmouth vs. No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Patriot:
The top 2 seeds Bucknell and Holy Cross will advance to the championship game to face each other, yet again.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
At Sojka Pavilion
Lewisburg, Pa.
Game 1: No. 4 American 75, No. 5 Lafayette 62
Game 2: No. 1 Bucknell 59, No. 8 Army 47
At Hart Center
Worcester, Mass.
Game 3: No. 3 Lehigh 48, No. 6 Colgate 44
Game 4: No. 2 Holy Cross 78, No. 7 Navy 50
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
At Sojka Pavilion
Lewisburg, Pa.
Game 5: No. 1 Bucknell 64, No. 4 American 50
At Hart Center
Worcester, Mass.
Game 6: No. 2 Holy Cross 73, No. 3 Lehigh 66
CHAMPIONSHIP
At higher seed
Friday, March 10
Game 7: No. 1 Bucknell vs. No. 2 Holy Cross, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Southern:
Davidson returns to the NCAA Tournament with a rout of Chattanooga.
At North Charleston Coliseum
North Charleston, S.C.
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 2
Game 1: No. 8 Appalachian St. 66, No. 9 Wofford 65
Game 2: No. 10 UNC Greensboro 69, No. 7 Western Carolina 65
Game 3: No. 11 The Citadel 65, No. 6 Furman 53
QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 3
Game 4: No. 8 Appalachian St. 74, No. 1 Georgia Southern 61
Game 5: No. 5 Chattanooga 65, No. 4 College of Charleston 63
Game 6: No. 2 Elon 64, No. 10 UNC Greensboro 61 OT
Game 7: No. 3 Davidson 79, No. 11 The Citadel 73
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 8: No. 5 Chattanooga 78, No. 8 Appalachian St. 75
Game 9: No. 3 Davidson 65, No. 2 Elon 58
CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 5
Game 10: No. 3 Davidson 80, No. 5 Chattanooga 55
Sun Belt:
Denver, South Alabama, Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Lafayette all advance to the conference semifinals.
At the Murphy Center
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: W4 New Orleans 76, E5 Florida International 56
Game 2: E4 Arkansas-Little Rock 72, W5 North Texas 55
Game 3: W6 Troy 107, E3 Arkansas State 83
QUARTERFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 4: W3 Denver 58, E2 Middle Tennessee 57
Game 5: E1 Western Kentucky 80, W4 New Orleans 61
Game 6: W1 South Alabama 78, E4 Arkansas-Little Rock 53
Game 7: W2 Louisiana-Lafayette 62, E3 Arkansas State 59, OT
SEMIFINALS
Monday, March 6
Game 8: W3 Denver vs. W1 South Alabama, 7:30 p.m.
Game 9: E1 Western Kentucky vs. W2 Louisiana-Lafayette, 10 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, March 7
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
West Coast:
Gonzaga needed overtime to defeat San Diego and advance to the WCC finals where they will face Loyola Marymount.
At McCarthey Athletic Center
Spokane, Wash.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 5 San Diego 85, No. 8 Pepperdine 72
Game 2: No. 7 Santa Clara 72, No. 6 Portland 68
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 3: No. 5 San Diego 62, No. 4 San Francisco 59
Game 4: No. 3 Saint Mary's 76, No. 7 Santa Clara 72, OT
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 5: No. 1 Gonzaga 96, No. 5 San Diego 92, OT
Game 6: No. 2 Loyola Marymount 66, No. 3 Saint Mary's 63
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 7: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 Loyola Marymount, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Bubble Wrap
We will update teams that improve their stock and lose serious ground as Championship Week continues. Check back periodically for updates and check out Bubbleteams.com for updated scores, conference tournament brackets, tournament previews and an updated NCAA Tournament bracket.
Kentucky: The Wildcats could afford this loss being they have a 9-7 SEC record and 19 wins overall. It would be wise for Kentucky to win their opening round game in the SEC Tournament against Mississippi. The selection committee never looks upon a bad loss at this point of the season favorably.
Syracuse: The Orangemen will still be thought of as deserving when they miss this year's NCAA Tournament. Syracuse played a very difficult schedule, yet the Orange did not win nearly enough big games and three straight losses, including a humiliating blowout at DePaul will leave Syracuse at best an NIT bid this season. Not only did the Orange NOT post a marquee win, they had a horrific loss. With a losing record in the Big East, Syracuse just does not have enough to qualify for an at-large invitation to this year's dance.
Florida State: The Seminoles followed their upset of Duke with a win at Miami. While a win over Miami is not a marquee win, it does give the Seminoles a winning record and a 5 seed in the ACC and, more importantly, it helps Florida State avoid a bad loss and sets them up for a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The only thing that would put that in jeopardy is a first round loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament. Should the Seminoles lose that game, once again there would be talk of FSU and the bubble.
Davidson: The Wildcats make amends for last season's upset loss in the Southern semifinals with a blowout win over Chattanooga. Arkansas: The Razorbacks eliminate any doubt whether they deserve an NCAA bid with their 10th SEC win and their 21st win overall. Regardless of what happens in the SEC Tournament, Arkansas will be dancing.
Bradley: The Braves magical run ends just short of an automatic NCAA bid. Now Bradley has to hope that seven wins in their last 8 games, a top 30 RPI and a solid resume will be enough to impress the committee. Bradley will likely be either the third or fourth team selected out of the MVC (behind automatic qualifier Southern Illinois, regular season champion Wichita State and possibly Northern Iowa).
Southern Illinois: The Salukis completed their run to a conference championship with a convincing 13 point win over the Bradley Braves and in the process earned the automatic bid from the Missouri Valley Conference.
George Mason: The Patriots have solid resume- conference champions of the CAA, 23 wins (including 15 wins in the #10 RPI conference), a top 25 RPI and a 16-3 record in their last 19 games. Yet the Patriots have just 2 wins against the top 50 RPI (at Wichita State and at home vs. NC Wilmington. The Patriots have just the one solid non-conference win to present to the committee. NC Wilmington and Hofstra meet for the conference title and if a second team is selected from the CAA it is likely to be the loser of the championship game. That leaves the Patriots the third team out of the CAA, a conference that has not earned more than one bid since 1986 (Navy earned the automatic bid and Richmond was an at-large qualifier). The play of several bubble teams throughout this week will give more insight about the fate of George Mason.
Hofstra: The Pride find themselves in much the same circumstance as the other two CAA teams, except they still have the chance to earn the automatic bid from the league in Monday's championship game. Hofstra now has 23 wins (including two against George Mason in the last 10 days) and a spot in the CAA title game. It would be best for Hofstra to win the conference title and leave the committee to decide between George Mason and NC Wilmington. Should the Pride lose, their weak non-conference schedule with just one win against a top 100 RPI team might spell doom for their chances at an at-large bid.
Kentucky: The Wildcats could afford this loss being they have a 9-7 SEC record and 19 wins overall. It would be wise for Kentucky to win their opening round game in the SEC Tournament against Mississippi. The selection committee never looks upon a bad loss at this point of the season favorably.
Syracuse: The Orangemen will still be thought of as deserving when they miss this year's NCAA Tournament. Syracuse played a very difficult schedule, yet the Orange did not win nearly enough big games and three straight losses, including a humiliating blowout at DePaul will leave Syracuse at best an NIT bid this season. Not only did the Orange NOT post a marquee win, they had a horrific loss. With a losing record in the Big East, Syracuse just does not have enough to qualify for an at-large invitation to this year's dance.
Florida State: The Seminoles followed their upset of Duke with a win at Miami. While a win over Miami is not a marquee win, it does give the Seminoles a winning record and a 5 seed in the ACC and, more importantly, it helps Florida State avoid a bad loss and sets them up for a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The only thing that would put that in jeopardy is a first round loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament. Should the Seminoles lose that game, once again there would be talk of FSU and the bubble.
Davidson: The Wildcats make amends for last season's upset loss in the Southern semifinals with a blowout win over Chattanooga. Arkansas: The Razorbacks eliminate any doubt whether they deserve an NCAA bid with their 10th SEC win and their 21st win overall. Regardless of what happens in the SEC Tournament, Arkansas will be dancing.
Bradley: The Braves magical run ends just short of an automatic NCAA bid. Now Bradley has to hope that seven wins in their last 8 games, a top 30 RPI and a solid resume will be enough to impress the committee. Bradley will likely be either the third or fourth team selected out of the MVC (behind automatic qualifier Southern Illinois, regular season champion Wichita State and possibly Northern Iowa).
Southern Illinois: The Salukis completed their run to a conference championship with a convincing 13 point win over the Bradley Braves and in the process earned the automatic bid from the Missouri Valley Conference.
George Mason: The Patriots have solid resume- conference champions of the CAA, 23 wins (including 15 wins in the #10 RPI conference), a top 25 RPI and a 16-3 record in their last 19 games. Yet the Patriots have just 2 wins against the top 50 RPI (at Wichita State and at home vs. NC Wilmington. The Patriots have just the one solid non-conference win to present to the committee. NC Wilmington and Hofstra meet for the conference title and if a second team is selected from the CAA it is likely to be the loser of the championship game. That leaves the Patriots the third team out of the CAA, a conference that has not earned more than one bid since 1986 (Navy earned the automatic bid and Richmond was an at-large qualifier). The play of several bubble teams throughout this week will give more insight about the fate of George Mason.
Hofstra: The Pride find themselves in much the same circumstance as the other two CAA teams, except they still have the chance to earn the automatic bid from the league in Monday's championship game. Hofstra now has 23 wins (including two against George Mason in the last 10 days) and a spot in the CAA title game. It would be best for Hofstra to win the conference title and leave the committee to decide between George Mason and NC Wilmington. Should the Pride lose, their weak non-conference schedule with just one win against a top 100 RPI team might spell doom for their chances at an at-large bid.
Conference Tournament Previews 3/05/06-(MAC)
We are continuing to post the conference tournament previews from our other website here.
Visit Bubbleteams.com to view the other conference tournament previews and updated conference tournament brackets.
Mid American:
FIRST ROUND
At higher seeds
Monday, March 6
Game 1: No. 7 Toledo vs. No. 10 Bowling Green, 7 p.m.
Game 2: No. 6 Western Michigan vs. No. 11 Eastern Michigan, 7 p.m.
Game 3: No. 8 Buffalo vs. No. 9 Ball State, 7 p.m.
Game 4: No. 5 Ohio vs. No. 12 Central Michigan, 7 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
At Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland
Thursday, March 9
Game 5: No. 2 Northern Illinois vs. Game 1 winner, 12 p.m.
Game 6: No. 3 Akron vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 1 Kent State vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 8: No. 4 Miami vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 10
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9:30 p.m.
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 11
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Recap: The Mid American Conference was a league comprised of imbalance this season. The top three teams in the Eastern Division finished conference play with 14 or more wins, led by conference champion Kent State. In addition, Akron and Miami of Ohio tied for second place with 14 wins each. The top three teams in the Eastern Division finished the conference campaign 22-2 against teams from the Western Division. All six teams from the Eastern Division were a combined 36-12 against their counterparts from the west. In addition, there were five teams from the Eastern Division with at least 16 overall wins while only two teams from the Western Division could muster at most 16 wins. In the West, two teams struggled all season to find the winning formula as Eastern Michigan only won three games and Eastern Michigan only won once. This year the conference tournament includes all 12 teams, one less than last year after former MAC member Marshall bolted to Conference USA.
Favorite: Kent State dominated the conference schedule, outlasting the second and third place teams, Akron and Miami (Ohio). The Golden Flash won seven road games in the MAC, tops amongst all member schools. Kent State did not win a single game by less than four points and won their seven road games by an average of nine points per game. Kent State will be challenged Akron, despite the Zips' slump down the stretch which saw them lose three of their last five games. Akron does get the benefit of playing on the side of a bracket that is populated almost entirely of Western Division teams. Despite their late season struggles, look for the Zips to advance to the title game where they will likely face the winner of Kent State and Miami (Ohio). Miami (Ohio) fashioned a 6-0 start to conference play and a 9-1 finish around an 0-3 stretch in late January that ultimately cost them the conference title. The RedHawks lost twice to Kent State and once to Akron and Western Michigan. Northern Illinois gets the 2 seed because of their first place finish in the Western Division. The Huskies played well against their own division, finishing with a 9-1 mark against their fellow Western Division teams. Unfortunately, Northern Illinois only managed three wins against teams from the East (none of those coming against the top three teams in the East).
Darkhorse: Toledo enters league play with six wins in their last seven games. The Rockets are the ONLY Western Division team to have defeated Kent State (demolishing the Golden Flash 60-44 in early February). Toledo gets a favorable 7 seed and draws the worst team from the East, Bowling Green. The Rockets will be tested by the Falcons, given Bowling Green already beat Toledo once this season (59-52 at Bowling Green). If the Toledo gets past the Falcons, they face 2 seed Northern Illinois. It is unlikely that any team from the West can get very far in this tournament, unless it is through another Western Division team.
Visit Bubbleteams.com to view the other conference tournament previews and updated conference tournament brackets.
Mid American:
FIRST ROUND
At higher seeds
Monday, March 6
Game 1: No. 7 Toledo vs. No. 10 Bowling Green, 7 p.m.
Game 2: No. 6 Western Michigan vs. No. 11 Eastern Michigan, 7 p.m.
Game 3: No. 8 Buffalo vs. No. 9 Ball State, 7 p.m.
Game 4: No. 5 Ohio vs. No. 12 Central Michigan, 7 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
At Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland
Thursday, March 9
Game 5: No. 2 Northern Illinois vs. Game 1 winner, 12 p.m.
Game 6: No. 3 Akron vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 1 Kent State vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 8: No. 4 Miami vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 10
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9:30 p.m.
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 11
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Recap: The Mid American Conference was a league comprised of imbalance this season. The top three teams in the Eastern Division finished conference play with 14 or more wins, led by conference champion Kent State. In addition, Akron and Miami of Ohio tied for second place with 14 wins each. The top three teams in the Eastern Division finished the conference campaign 22-2 against teams from the Western Division. All six teams from the Eastern Division were a combined 36-12 against their counterparts from the west. In addition, there were five teams from the Eastern Division with at least 16 overall wins while only two teams from the Western Division could muster at most 16 wins. In the West, two teams struggled all season to find the winning formula as Eastern Michigan only won three games and Eastern Michigan only won once. This year the conference tournament includes all 12 teams, one less than last year after former MAC member Marshall bolted to Conference USA.
Favorite: Kent State dominated the conference schedule, outlasting the second and third place teams, Akron and Miami (Ohio). The Golden Flash won seven road games in the MAC, tops amongst all member schools. Kent State did not win a single game by less than four points and won their seven road games by an average of nine points per game. Kent State will be challenged Akron, despite the Zips' slump down the stretch which saw them lose three of their last five games. Akron does get the benefit of playing on the side of a bracket that is populated almost entirely of Western Division teams. Despite their late season struggles, look for the Zips to advance to the title game where they will likely face the winner of Kent State and Miami (Ohio). Miami (Ohio) fashioned a 6-0 start to conference play and a 9-1 finish around an 0-3 stretch in late January that ultimately cost them the conference title. The RedHawks lost twice to Kent State and once to Akron and Western Michigan. Northern Illinois gets the 2 seed because of their first place finish in the Western Division. The Huskies played well against their own division, finishing with a 9-1 mark against their fellow Western Division teams. Unfortunately, Northern Illinois only managed three wins against teams from the East (none of those coming against the top three teams in the East).
Darkhorse: Toledo enters league play with six wins in their last seven games. The Rockets are the ONLY Western Division team to have defeated Kent State (demolishing the Golden Flash 60-44 in early February). Toledo gets a favorable 7 seed and draws the worst team from the East, Bowling Green. The Rockets will be tested by the Falcons, given Bowling Green already beat Toledo once this season (59-52 at Bowling Green). If the Toledo gets past the Falcons, they face 2 seed Northern Illinois. It is unlikely that any team from the West can get very far in this tournament, unless it is through another Western Division team.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)