Action has begun today in the last big conference tournaments like the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac12. But before we get to that, more scores of note from yesterday:
Long Island 90 - Robert Morris 73 = Here is your Northeast automatic bid.
Lehigh 82 - Bucknell 77 = And in a close one, here's your Patriot champ.
Montana 85 - Weber State 66 = And this is the Big Sky guy. Congratulations to all three for punching their tickets.
Louisville 61 - Seton Hall 66 = A win by the Pirates may have gotten them off the bubble, but now they will have to sweat it out with all the other also-rans.
South Florida 56 - Villanova 47 = Me, I figure this one put the Bulls in. As for 'Nova, they were toast without a sweep, so they are burnt.
In early action today we've already had a few interesting outcomes:
Iowa 64 - Illinois 61 = I'm not sure about the post-season statue of the Hawkeyes, but the complete collapse of the Illini is completely complete now. Is the career of Bruce Weber in Champaign done also?
Syracuse 58 - U Conn 55 = The Orange bogarted the Big East regular season, and now tries to roll another one in the tournament. As for the Huskies, their roll of 13 straight post-season wins is over, though their season likely isn't.
Cincinnati 72 - Georgetown 70 (2OT) = The rather remarkable success of the Bearcats since that brawl with Xavier continues in this all-out war. The young Hoyas get a quick lesson on tourney play.
N. C. State 78 - Boston College 57 = This first-round win over the Eagles will not put Jerry's Wolfpack over the bubble, but it does keep their hopes alive, for at least one more day.
San Diego State 65 - Boise State 62 = As Larry predicted, his Aztecs could handle Boise State . . . though not so handily.
Oregon State 86 - Washington 84 = Whoh! Here's your shock of the afternoon, as the Pac-12 regular-season champ goes down in the first round. This opens the door for some darkhorse to take the automatic bid, and swipe an at-large from one of those hopeful bubble teams. Hey, $#!+ happens!
Marshall vs. Tulsa = This is winding down, and with the CUSA one of those leagues who's number of bids is in question, it is huge for both squads. As I type, the Golden Hurricanes are up a few possessions over the Thundering Herd, but with 3+ to play it is far from over.
UCLA vs. Arizona = Recall my remark above about a Pac-12 darkhorse? Well, you have two going head-to-head here. And with the experts saying this conference won't get more than a couple of bids, this one is huge for the Bruins and the Wildcats, both of which are extremely bubbly.
Nebraska vs. Purdue = The Boilermakers may be slightly less bubbly than those two, but they are still pretty evervescent. A win over the Cornhuskers won't help much, but it will give them another shot to improve their resume.
Stanford vs. California = Were I on the Committee, I'd likely have these two in regardless. But the last time I checked, they pay even less attention to me than do you guys. In light of that, this is big, and not only for them. Hey, if the Tree can knock the OTHER favorite out of the tourney, that imrpoves the odds for that theoretical darkhorse . . . and decreases the odds for your bubble team.
South Florida vs. Notre Dame = Like I said earlier, I've got the Bulls in already. Yet as I said right above, my vote don't count. However, a win over the ranked Irish squad would sew it up good.
Texas vs. Iowa State = And even though it may not sew it up for the Longhorns, a win here would greatly improve their chances of landing an at-large.
Georgia vs. Mississippi State = But unlike those 'Horns, who made a late charge to get into the discussion, the MSU Bulldogs made a late slide to get out of it. They are not totally dead maybe, but a loss to these OTHER 'Dogs (in both senses of the word) might be the DNR they've slipped towards for almost a month now.
Colorado vs. Oregon = And speaking of dogs, here are two pretty good underdogs in the Pac-12 chase who could easily put themselves in that darkhorse picture . . . if you'll excuse the mixed-breed metaphor.
That's it for now, brothers. Until tomorrow then, enjoy.