Welcome back to the Nightly Roundup! A busy, busy day across college basketball for Championship Week. Due to a busy night personally, trying to get this up before the Friday afternoon action REALLY gets underway. Let’s get right to yesterday’s College Basketball scores:
ACC Tournament – Quarterfinals:
- Duke beats Notre Dame 88-70
- UVA beats Louisville 75-58
- UNC pulls away from Miami 82-65
- Clemson edges BC 90-82
- Semifinal Matchups: UVA vs. Clemson & Duke vs. UNC
Analysis: All four winners are definites into the tournament. Of the losers, only Miami will safely be waiting for Selection Sunday. BC doesn’t have enough clout within the conference to be considered on any sort of bubble. Louisville likely has a better shot than Notre Dame in making it into the field but both should be on notice in case of a miracle run to a conference championship outside of the ACC.
Big East Tournament – Quarterfinals:
- Nova smacks Marquette 94-70
- Xavier beats St. John’s 88-60
- Providence edges Creighton 72-68 in OT
- Butler edges Seton Hall 75-74
- Semifinal Matchups: Xavier vs. Providence & Villanova vs. Butler
Analysis: No surprises by either top seed’s big win–although it’s worth noting a Marquette win would have put them in the bubble conversation. Seton Hall and Creighton should be alright in terms of safely getting in–Joe Lunardi has them at a 7 and 8 seed, respectively. At this point, the remaining Big East games basically for seeding-rights.
Big XII Tournament – Quarterfinals:
- Kansas smacks OK State 82-68
- Texas Tech beats Texas 73-69
- WVU beats Baylor 78-65
- Kansas State edges TCU 66-64 in OT
- Semifinal Matchups: Kansas State vs. Kansas & West Virginia vs. Texas Tech
Analysis: The higher seeds winning makes the bubble watch interesting. Aside from TCU, Baylor, Texas, and Oklahoma State will stay glued to their TVs on Sunday afternoon. If you are a fan of one of those schools, the mid-major tournaments might be heart attack inducing for you. Avoid at all costs.
Pac 12 Tournament – Quarterfinals:
- Arizona smacks Colorado 83-67
- UCLA beats Stanford 88-77
- USC bests Oregon State 61-48
- Oregon edges Utah 68-66
- Semifinal Matchups: UCLA vs. Arizona & Oregon vs. USC
Analysis: In a down year for the Pac 12, only Arizona is truly a lock for the NCAA Tournament. An Oregon win over USC could put them from safe to very much on the bubble–an Oregon Pac 12 Championship would likely KO the Trojans’ hopes. A UCLA win over Arizona would firmly put the Bruins in but might put Arizona’s hopes for a 1-Seed at risk depending on how the Big East and ACC Tournaments play out. Yes, that scenario is a stretch but it is indeed possible.
SEC Tournament – 2nd Round:
- Alabama beats Texas A&M 71-70 on this shot:
- Georgia edges Missouri 62-60
- Mississippi State beats LSU 80-77
- Arkansas bests South Carolina 69-64
- Quarterfinal Matchups: Alabama vs. Auburn, Georgia vs. Kentucky, Mississippi St vs. Tennessee & Arkansas vs. Florida
Analysis: The Georgia loss will hurt Missouri seeding-wise, but Mizzou should be safe from any type of bubble conversation. If UGA’s miracle run continues, it could spell trouble teams on the bubble. Bama’s buzzer-beater might have punched their ticket to the Big Dance, but a win over arch-nemesis Auburn is always welcome.
Keep An Eye Out On:
Aside from the Power Conferences this weekend, look out for how the American plays out. Cincy, Houston, and Wichita State are definitely going to the Tournament and I wouldn’t expect Memphis or Tulsa (4th & 5th AAC seeds) to get at-large bids. However, if someone other than Cincy, Houston, or Wichita State wins the tournament, the bubble watch becomes more and more interesting–especially with Middle Tennessee going down last night in the C-USA Tournament.
Quick Note on the Flyers and Sixers Losses:
Both the Flyers and the Sixers lost Thursday night to Boston and Miami, respectively. The Flyers allowed a Brad Marchand goal in the final minute to lose 3-2. The saving grace for the Flyers was that the Devils lost last night as well keeping New Jersey three points behind the Flyers. The bad news is that last night was the Flyers’ fifth-straight loss and they will welcome Winnipeg and Vegas over the next few days–two of the Western Conference’s best teams.
The Sixers played a very shaky fourth quarter in Miami to lose 108-99. The two teams traded leads but the Heat outscored the Sixers 35-25 in the final frame. Hassan Whiteside dropped 26 points (and a shove of Joel Embiid) while Dwayne Wade added 16 of his own to overpower Dario Saric’s 20 & 10 double-double. With Detroit falling apart, the Sixers look more and more safe in the playoff hunt but dropping games against playoff-caliber opponents are always tough to see–especially when the normally accurate Sixers shoot under 40% from the field.
A LOT of sports this weekend. College Basketball, NBA, NHL, and golf to all keep an eye out for. Stay tuned to the Thunderblog for our coverage!
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