Countdown to a Championship

64-32-16-8-4-2-1. Today, 64; by April 7, there will be just one. One national champion. One shining moment, as the song says. The countdown from 64 begins today.

This is day one of two of the greatest annual event in college basketball, when all 64 teams will battle to the final buzzer. By Friday night, after 32 games, there will be 32 winners and 32 teams heading home.

It all begins at 12:20 ET, when the miracle men of Georgia, who, after going 4-12 in the SEC, earned an automatic bid by winning their conference tournament. Seeded #14, the Bulldogs tip with the #3 Xavier Musketeers.

#1 seeds in action today are UCLA and Kansas. North Carolina and Memphis begin play on Friday. For the Bruins, their foe, #16 Mississippi Valley St., presents no more a challenge than the usual practice. The Bruins are favored by a whopping 32 points. That game is scheduled to begin as the final game of the day for the West region, at 9:55 ET.

Kansas will take to the hardwood much earlier, as the opener in the Midwest, at 12:25, facing #16 Portland State. The Jayhawks, winners of the Big 12, are 22 1/2 point favorites.

I'll be blogging on and off most of the day and into the night, with highlights and analysis of key games.

Stay tuned. It's about to get serious.

NCAA Tournament: Matchup Mayhem

While the selection committee may not have picked the very best 65 teams for the tournament, they did come up with a number of intriguing first-round contests.

Here are some must-see games which will resonate through the college hoops universe all the way to San Antonio:

East Region
(8) Indiana vs. (9) Arkansas - The talented Indiana backcourt of freshman Eric Gordon and sophomore Armon Bassett should have their way with Arkansas' Gary Ervin and Patrick Beverley. The Hoosiers will also have JaMarcus Ellis and Jordan Crawford for extended periods, putting further pressure on the Arkansas guards.

Up front, however, it's a different story, where D.J. White, an experienced 6'9" post presence, will be hounded by the likes of Darian Townes, Vincent Hunter, and the ever-dangerous Sonny Weems, all seniors.

While Indiana may still be reeling from the departure of coach Kelvin Sampson, the Razorbacks have no such concerns, as coach John Pelphrey looks like he's going to be around a while. Both he and Hoosiers interim coach Dan Dakich are seeking their first tournament wins, and this one could go down to the wire.

It will be interesting to see if Gordon takes over the game from the backcourt or the Hogs run wild in the lane. The winner earns the right to play North Carolina in the next round. No picnic and little time to prepare.

Midwest Region
(6) USC vs. (11) Kansas State This may not be that great of a game, or it might, considering K-State's late-season meltdown and USC's arrival as a premiere West coast team loaded with studs. The big marquee players are here: Wildcats freshman Michael Beasley may be the #1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, so this is his chance to showcase his talents to a national audience.

Likewise, USC's O.J. Mayo may not last into his sophomore year. The Trojans have the better team overall, though they start all sophs and freshmen. Forwards Taj Gibson and Davon Jefferson should be the difference-makers for USC, which should advance and could be a final four team if everything falls into place.

Look for USC to win this one going away, though holding Beasley under 40 may not be possible. A Kansas St. win would be a pretty remarkable upset, but future NBA stars will be on parade for both teams.

South Region
(7) Miami vs. (10) St. Mary's - If anyone picked either of these teams to be in the tournament preseason, they should get a full scholarship to Bracketville U.

The surprising Gaels of St. Mary's performed admirably through the rugged West Coast Conference schedule, and have what amounts to an international lineup with four Australians on the squad. Guard Todd Golden hits at 45% from 3-point range and 6'11" center Omar Samhan can be dominant in the post. The supporting cast is very athletic and long and can play with anyone.

For the Hurricanes, it was a season in which they exceeded expectations. They're an undersized group that can leap and run with any team in the country, so they are prime for upsets should they survive the opening round. Watch for Dwayne Collins and Jack McClinton to do most of the scoring and everyone else to crash the boards. These guys upset Duke earlier in the season and are one of only four ACC to make the tourney.

This could be the wildest game of the first round and it's a shame one of these exciting teams has to lose.

West Region
(5) Drake vs. (12) Western Kentucky - Surprising nearly everyone except themselves, the Drake Bulldogs - the only entrant out of the Missouri Valley Conference - may have the best team concept in the country, whipping the ball around the perimeter until Adam Emmenecker, a 6;1" senior dashes into the lane with the ball and either scores on a layup or dishes out to a teammate for an open three. These guys are also very adept passers who employ lots of back-door plays.

The Bulldogs can play stingy defense and will throttle down any hot shooters with a stifling zone or rough man-to-man.

The 27-6 Hilltoppers, winners of the Sun Belt tourney, have a slew of shooters who can light it up from anywhere on the floor, though they prefer to do their damage from behind the three-point line. Led by senior Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky may have trouble stopping Drake, but they won't have any problem finding shots.

The flow of the game will be intense and all-important. If the Hilltoppers get off early, they may make it hard for Drake to come back, though the Bulldogs have the kind of grit and heart to overcome early setbacks. This one ought to be a barn-raising good time with the winner set on upsetting another team in the second round.

Tomorrow: Locks, Bracket Busters and Definite Maybes

Bracketology: Georgia Plays Way In; Say UNC-le

The just-released 2008 NCAA Tournament brackets contained no surprises as far as the top four teams were concerned. North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA and Kansas ended up at the top of the heap with #1 seedings.

The Tar Heels received the #1 overall seeding after topping Clemson, 86-81, in the ACC tournament final. UNC will play in the East region, Memphis in the South, UCLA in the West and Kansas in the Midwest. The Final Four will pit East vs. Midwest and South vs. West in the semifinal games.

Georgia turned in the day's best story line, beating Arkansas, 66-57, to capture the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs, 4-12 during the regular season, won four straight in the conference tourney, including wins over both Kentucky and Mississippi State on the same day. Because of the hurricane that ripped through downtown Georgia on Friday night, damaging the Georgia Dome, the scheduled game between Kentucky and Georgia was moved to the Georgia Tech campus and played on Saturday afternoon.

After winning that one, the all-Bulldogs semifinal went to Georgia and the rest, as they say, is history. Somewhat mercifully, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Arkansas also received NCAA bids, so nobody from the SEC was the victim of Georgia's fortune.

While Georgia actually earned their way in, a number of teams were very questionable choices, especially four from the Big 12 - Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Kansas State and Baylor.

None of these, nor Kansas State, reached the tournament final. The Aggies lost 5 of their last 7 regular season games; Baylor lost four straight and six of seven before finishing the regular season 3-1, then lost their first game of the conference tournament to last place Colorado.

Oklahoma may have a little better case. After finishing 9-7 in the conference, then, following a first-round bye in the conference tourney, beat Colorado, but were then buried by the Longhorns, 77-49. Texas beat the Sooners 3 times during the season by a total of 55 points. Do they really belong?

As for Kansas State, they've won just three times in their last nine games. The wins were against Missouri, Iowa State and Colorado, the three worst teams in the Big 12.

Realistically, the Big 12 should have sent two or three teams to the tournament, not six. Kansas, Texas and maybe Oklahoma were the only measurably solid choices.

From the Big East, Villanova could easily have been refused a bid. The Wildcats, 9-9 in the Big East regular season, beat two ranked teams, Pitt and UConn, by one and two points, respectively, and both games were at home. After winning their tournament opener over a depleted Syracuse squad, they were rousted by 19 points by Georgetown. At one point during the season, they lost five straight.

Another couple of questionable choices were Arizona and Oregon from the PAC-10. Arizona was 8-10 in the conference, Oregon 8-8

The six or seven teams mentioned here could easily have been replaced by any of the following: Illinois St., Southern Illinois or Creighton - all from the Missouri Valley Conference, which sends only one team, conference champion Drake - Ohio State, Virginia Tech, VCU, Wagner or New Mexico. All of these teams had records equal or better than those selected and would have added some more flavor - and representation by smaller conferences - to the tournament.

Tomorrow: Matchup Madness

Hail the Champions: Conference Titles Up for Grabs

A number of conferences wrapped up their tournaments on Saturday with more to come on Sunday. One thing's for sure: take nothing for granted. Upsets were the norm in the Big East, ACC and SEC.

Here are recaps of Saturday's key games and how they will affect the NCAA field.

Memphis 77 Tulsa 51
As expected, the Tigers swamped Tulsa and added the tournament title to their regular season conquest of Conference USA. The only question remaining is whether any teams other than Memphis will be invited to the big dance. Tulsa seems the only decent choice, but Memphis alone would make sense.

North Carolina 68 Virginia Tech 66
The Hokies have made their case for the big tourney, coming within a hair of upsetting the #1 Tar Heels. Carolina moves on to the finals on Sunday against Clemson.

Clemson 78 Duke 74
Not so shocking, Duke was vulnerable away from Cameron Indoor Arena. A tight game throughout, the Tigers made their case to the tournament committee, no matter what happens against North Carolina.

Wisconsin 65 Michigan St. 63
The Badgers took care of business to reach the finals on Sunday. If they beat Illinois, they will add the Big Ten Tournament title to their regular season trophy.

Illinois 56 Minnesota 50
The Illini got the best matchup they could ask for and took advantage, with a chance to play into the NCAA tourney with a win over Wisconsin Sunday in the finals.

Pittsburgh 74 Georgetown 65
Pittsburgh came all the way back from late-season woes and swept through the Big East field with wins over Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette and last night, Georgetown. They are the real deal and should get a #2 or #3 seeding.

Texas 77 Oklahoma 49
Ho-hum. Texas and Kansas are the only Big 12 teams that belong.

Texas A&M 71 Kansas 77
See above comment.

Stanford 64 UCLA 67
The PAC-10 was almost as boring as the Big 12. The top four seeds ended up in the semi, and #1 UCLA topped #2 Stanford. Nothing to see here. USC and Washington St. will join these two in the NCAA field. UCLA will be the #1 seed in the West.

BYU 61 UNLV 76
This was somewhat of a shocker and nice to see, but it does create problems for the tournament selection committee. BYU won the Mountain West, and they're 27-7 overall, so expect both the Runnin' Rebels and Cougars in the tournament.

Temple 69 St. Joseph's 64
Another championship won by an underdog creates more questions for the selection committee. Xavier won the Atlantic-10 regular season, and they're no doubt about getting an at-large berth. Temple receives the automatic and St. Joseph's, 9-7 in the regular season, should be considered, as they've beaten Xavier twice in the last two weeks.

Arkansas 92 Tennessee 91
Arkansas pulled off the biggest upset of the day, cementing their credentials for the NCAAs, but Georgia, winning twice in the same day, really deserves a bid.

Georgia 60 Kentucky 56
The Bulldogs, 4-12 during the regular SEC season, topped the Wildcats to advance to the semifinals. Because of the storms that ripped up the Georgia Dome, this game was canceled Friday night and played Saturday afternoon.

Georgia 64 Mississippi St. 60
Just hours after beating Kentucky, Georgia's kids took out the SEC West champions in the semifinal of the SEC tournament. They move onto the finals against Arkansas. Oddly enough, the Razorbacks are one of the four teams that Georgia beat during the regular season, winning 82-69, back on January 19.

The Bulldogs finally evened their full season record at 16-16 with the win. If they do capture the SEC crown, they'll surely have the worst record of any team entered in the NCAA tourney, but the best story of how they got there.

Big East, PAC-10 Tourney Results

PAC-10

UCLA 57 USC 54
After trailing 34-28 at the half, UCLA opened the second half with an 18-4 scoring blitz to put away their rivals from across town and reach the tournament finals. The Bruins will face the winner of tonight's Stanford-Washington State clash on Saturday.

Big East

Georgetown 72 West Virginia 55
Roy Hibbert, who didn't score and had just 4 rebounds in Thursday night's win over Villanova, rebounded in a big way to lead the Hoyas to the Big East finals. The big man had 25 points and 13 rebounds while only committing two personal fouls. Georgetown will face Pittsburgh in tomorrow's championship game. Pitt defeated Georgetown, 69-60, in their only meeting of the regular season, on January 14 at Pitt

Pittsburgh 69 Marquette 61
Pitt, nearly written off for dead three weeks ago, has forged back to reach the Big East finals. They will face Georgetown for the championship on Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers went after the Golden Eagles early, getting three fouls on both Lazard Hayward and Jerel McNeal before halftime. Pitt led 35-22 at the break. Marquette rallied in the second half, but Pitt's lead was too large to overcome.

Badgers Know Defense; Arkansas Moves On - Conference Tourney Results

Conference Tournament Results for March 14

Big Ten

Wisconsin 51 Michigan 34
In what has to be considered on of the best defensive efforts of the college basketball season, the Wisconsin Badgers completely contained Michigan, holding the Wolverines to 20% shooting, forcing 14 turnovers and holding sway on the boards by a 42-34 margin. The 85 combined points was the lowest point total in the history of the Big Ten tournament.

Michigan St. 67 Ohio St. 60
Drew Neitzel had the time of his life, scoring 28 points on 9-17 shooting, including 6-12 3-pointers as the Spartans moved on to the semifinals against Wisconsin on Saturday. Ohio State will have to sit on the bubble and wait to see if they earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tourney. Their status is best described as "iffy."

Illinois 74 Purdue 67 OT
In the biggest upset of the tournament, the Illini handed Purdue an unlikely loss. The Boilermakers finished a strong second in the Big Ten at 15-3, while Illinois was 5-13. Illinois' Demetri McCamey led the way with 28 points including a perfect 6-for-6 from 3-point range. The Illini will face the winner of tonight's Indiana-Minnesota game in one of tomorrow's semifinal matchups.

SEC

Tennessee 89 South Carolina 87
A narrow escape for the Vols, but they hardly needed the game. The Gamecocks are out, out and done.

Arkansas 81 Vanderbilt 75
A key, quality win for the Razorbacks which is probably good enough to impress the selection committee. Count Arkansas as one in the field of 65. The 'Backs were actually outshot from the field and both the 3-point and foul lines, but their enormous 45-24 rebounding edge game them more 18 more chances and the win. The Vols are up next on Saturday for Arkansas.

Mississippi St. 69 Alabama 67 OT
Close call for the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide as a storm ripped a hole in the Goergia Dome roof and delayed the game in overtime. Mississippi St. will face the winner of tonight's Georgia-Kentucky game on Saturday.

ACC

North Carolina 82 Florida State 70
An easy win for the well-prepped Tar Heels. Tyler Hansbrough scored 22 and Wayne Ellison knocked in 19 points. Carolina looks unstoppable. They should win the ACC tourney without breaking a sweat. They've won nine straight and look like the #1 seed n the East no matter what happens.

Virginia Tech 63 Miami (FL) 49
Some redemption for the Hokies and trouble for Miami.

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Duke 82 Georgia Tech 70
Georgia Tech had no shot at making the NCAAs. This was a walkover for the Blue Devils.

Big 12

Texas 66 Oklahoma St. 59
Routine win for the Longhorns. The Big 12 needs an upset desperately because after Kansas and Texas, there's nothing there.

Oklahoma 54 Colorado 49
The Sooners catch their arch-enemy, Texas in one of two semifinals on Saturday.

Kansas 64 Nebraska 54
The Jayhawks at least made it interesting, having to come from five down at the half. Tomorrow, they'll play (and probably beat) the winner of tonight's Texas A&M-Kansas State game.

Later: Big East, PAC-10 and late results from all major conferences

Georgia survives in OT; Stanford sends Arizona home

Late Tourney Results from March 13

Georgia 97 Mississippi 95 OT
Georgia center Dave Bliss hit a buzzer-beater with o.4 seconds remaining in overtime to give Georgia an opening round win over Ole Miss. The Bulldogs finished last in the SEC East, so their only chance of receiving an NCAA bid is to win the entire tournament. They face Kentucky tonight in a quarterfinal game.

Mississippi wasn't likely to receive a bid either, after finishing 7-9 in the SEC. Rarely does the NCAA accept teams with losing conference records.

Stanford 75 Arizona 64
Stanford's size eventually proved to be too much for the Wildcats, who will wait until Sunday to see if they are offered a berth in the NCAA tournament. Brook Lopez, the Cardinal 7'1" powerhouse, scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as Stanford pulled away late. Stanford faces Washington State in a PAC-10 semifinal game Friday night. Arizona finished 8-10 during the conference's regular season and is unlikely to get an at-large bid.

Pitt on Comeback Trail; Florida is History; 'Huskers in the Mix

More Conference Tournament Results

Pittsburgh 76 Louisville 69 OT
Sam Young misfired on all four of his 3-point attempts, but he was 8-14 from inside the arc, scoring 21 points to lead the Panthers past Louisville in a critical second-round Big East tournament game.

Pittsburgh, which suffered through a three-straight losing streak in the midst of their Big East regular season schedule, has righted itself and should be sailing towards an NCAA bid. Pitt finished an undistinguished 10-8 in conference play, but have reached the semifinals of the Big East tourney with a pair of wins. On Friday, they will face Marquette in a semifinal contest.

Elsewhere around the nation's conference tournaments, Nebraska beat back Missouri, 61-56, keeping their hopes alive in the Big 12. Georgia Tech eliminated Virginia from the ACC tourney, 94-76 and Alabama ensured that there will be a new NCAA champion this season by knocking reigning champion Florida out of the SEC tournament in the first round by an 80-69 tally.

The Gators finished the regular season at 8-8 in the conference and are 21-11 overall, which is probably not good enough to make the final cut to 65 for the NCAAs.

UCLA 88 California 66
UCLA ended Cal's dreams of post-season glory and moved to the next round of the PAC-10 tourney. Darren Collison led the Bruins with 19 points, including 5-of-7 threes. Josh Shipp had 18 and freshman Kevin Love scored 11 as the Bruins shot 53% from the field. UCLA faces cross town rival USC - a 59-55 winner over Arizona State - in one of the semifinal games Friday.

Washington St. 75 Oregon 70
This was a tough matchup for the Ducks and it may have cost them any chance at consideration for an NCAA bid. The Cougars roared to a 42-27 lead at the half and turned back repeated challenges by Oregon to advance to Friday's semifinals to face the winner of the Stanford-Arizona game later tonight.

The Ducks pulled to within four points on Tajuan Porter's three-pointer with under 90 seconds remaining, but were forced to foul down the stretch and could draw no closer. It was the third time this season the Cougars dunked the Ducks.

Marquette 89 Notre Dame 79
Jerel McNeal just kept firing, but when he was forced to sit with three fouls midway through the second half, teammate Dominic James took over, scoring seven straight points for the Golden Eagles, putting Marquette ahead for good. McNeal, who had nearly single-handedly kept Marquette in the game most of the night, finished with a game high 28 points on 9-16 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Marquette will play Pittsburgh in one of Friday's semifinal games.

Boston College 71 Maryland 68
Count the Terrapins out of the ACC and the NCAA tournament. The troubled Terrapins collapsed in the second half of their first-round game with Boston College, surrendering any chance of consideration by the NCCA tournament committee for an at-large bid.

Maryland finished the ACC season 8-8 and was on the bubble heading into the conference tourney, but losing to last-place (4-12) BC was the last straw. The loss was the third straight for Maryland and their sixth in their last eight outings.

Mid-day Movers: Mountaineers Climb; Hoyas Hammer 'Cats

Conference Tournament Results

West Virginia 78 Connecticut 72
The Mountaineers now have everybody's attention and probably an at-large invite to the NCAAs with their second straight win in the Big East Tournament. UConn probably has little to worry about, since they went 13-5 in the Big East and 24-7 overall.

Georgetown 82 Villanova 63
The Hoyas put the hammer down on Villanova, a team they beat by just two points during the regular season. The Wildcats may have been a little weary from playing yesterday, while the well-rested Hoyas - who received a first round bye - were clicking from the outside as center Roy Hibbert played only 14 minutes, eventually fouling out with no points and four rebounds. Jesse Sapp and Jonathan Wallace were on fire from three-point range. Wallace hit 5-of-6, while Sapp nailed 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Sapp finished with a game-high 23 points. Wallace had 20 as the Hoyas shot 54% for the game.

Villanova shot only 33% and now must sweat out Selection Sunday. They are 20-12 overall and finished 9-9 in the Big East. Georgetown will face West Virginia in one of two semi-final games on Friday.

Florida St. 70 Wake Forest 60
The Seminoles kept their hopes alive for a bid with an opening round win over Wake Forest in the ACC tourney. The Deacons are unlikely to go anywhere but the NIT.

Miami 63 NC State 50
Say bye-bye to the Wildcats for this season and hello to the Hurricanes. The opening round win nearly cinches an at-large berth for Miami, which finished the ACC regular season 8-8 and tied with Maryland for fifth place. The Hurricanes own a win over the Terps, as well as Duke, Clemson and, outside the conference, Mississippi State.

In the Big 10 tourney, Michigan beat Iowa, 55-47, and Illinois topped Penn St., 64-63, though neither are likely to make the NCAA tourney unless they win the entire tourney, which is unlikely.

Over in the Big 12, Colorado downed Baylor, 91-84, in double overtime. The opening-round loss puts the Bears back on the bubble with a 9-7 regular season conference record and 21-10 slate overall.

Oklahoma State knocked out Texas Tech, 76-72, but the Cowboys' 7-9 conference record really hurts their chances.

This pair of games leaves the doors wide open for Texas A&M, Oklahoma and long-shot Nebraska.

No surprises so far in the SEC Tournament opening round. South Carolina slipped by LSU, 77-73, and Vanderbilt cruised to a 93-82 win over Auburn.

Portland State Gets a Bid; Arizona Advances

Late Results from March 12 West Coast games

Portland State 67 Northern Arizona 51
The Portland State Vikings earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with a win in the championship game of the Big Sky conference tourney. It's the fist ever invitation for the Vikings, who dominated the Big Sky with a 14-2 regular season record, losing only road games at Weber State and CSU Fullerton. The Vikings have won five straight and 14 of their last 15.

Arizona 87 Oregon State 56
The Arizona Wildcats demolished Oregon State in the opener of the PAC-10 tournament, shooting 54% from the field, including 9-of-17 three-pointers. The Wildcats face Stanford in the second round, Thursday night. A win there might put them on the radar for an at-large bid, though they will have to counteract their 8-10 regular season conference record.

California 84 Washington 81
The Golden Bears clung to their slim hopes of earning an NCAA at-large bid with a narrow escape in the first round of the PAC-10 tourney. Due to a 6-10 regular season PAC-10 record, for Cal to even be considered for a bid they'd likely have to win the entire tournament, meaning they'll have to defeat #3-ranked UCLA on Thursday in the second round.

Big East First Round Results; Mt. Saint Mary's Shocks Northeast

Villanova 82 Syracuse 63
That should do it for the Wildcats... and for Syracuse. Villanova used a 12-3 spurt midway through the second half to turn a close game into a runaway and secure an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament. For Syracuse, the loss was the culmination of a frustrating, injury-filled season that will likely end in the NIT Tournament.

Scottie Reynolds led all scorers with 22 points, including 4-of-7 three-pointers. Corey Stokes pitched in 18, hitting 4-of-8 from three-point range. The game was the opener for the Big East Tournament, which showcases one of the nation's great conferences through the weekend at Madison Square Garden. Villanova moves on to face top-seeded Georgetown in the second round on Thursday.

West Virginia 58 Providence 53
Joe Alexander scored 22 points and Da'Sean Butler added 18 points and nine rebounds to pace the Mountaineers past Providence and into the second round of the Big East tournament. Next up for the Mountaineers is Connecticut, who topped West Virginia 79-71 on March first at UConn. The second round game is slated for a 2:00 pm tip. West Virginia finished 11-7 in the conference during the regular season and may still need a win in order to receive a NCAA at-large bid. They are battling Pitt and Villanova for the probable 6th and 7th seeds from the Big East. Both the Panthers and Wildcats won opening round games on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh 70 Cincinnati 64
The Panthers finally closed out a stubborn Bearcats team to move into the second round of the Big East tourney. Pitt faces Louisville on Thursday night. A win over Louisville would almost certainly earn an NCAA bid for the Panthers, while a loss would still leave some doubt.

Marquette 67 Seton Hall 54
Marquette was probably going to get an NCAA invite whichever way this game turned, but winning it, and moving into the next round against Notre Dame, is certainly preferable. The Golden Eagles split a pair of games with the Irish this season, each team winning at home. On a neutral court, Marquette may rate a slight edge.

Marquette's Jerel McNeil was the game's high scorer with 21 points.


Mt. Saint Mary's Captures Northeast Title, Earns Bid

It's been a long, strange trip for the Mountaineers from Mt. Saint Mary's, but it's about to get even longer. The Mountaineers, who began the season with four straight losses, and found themselves at 8-11 on January 24, avenged earlier, regular season losses to Robert Morris and Sacred Heart and swept through the Northeast Conference tournament to capture an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Mountaineers finished the regular season in 4th place at 11-7, behind Robert Morris (16-2), Wagner (15-3) and Sacred Heart (13-5). After knocking off Quinnipiac, 80-70 in the opening round of the conference tourney, they thundered past Robert Morris, 83-65 on Sunday, and downed Sacred Heart, 69-55, in the final, Wednesday.

At 18-14, the Mountaineers will probably be a 16 seed and cannon fodder for one of the four #1's in the tournament. They've won five straight and seven of their last eight.

A Trio from the WCC?

With unlikely wins over both St. Mary's and then Gonzaga - in the West Coast Conference tournament final - the San Diego Toreros earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and sent the college basketball world officially into the Madness that is March.

The Toreros finished third in the WCC regular season, but came through in the tourney to better the top two finishers. Both Gonzaga (13-1 conference, 25-7 overall), which won the WCC regular season, and St. Mary's (12-2, 25-6) have the credentials to receive at-large bids, but both will have to sweat it out until Selection Sunday, March 16.

Other teams, from other conferences will be sweating along with them. With only 34 at-large bids available after the champions of 31 conferences get automatic bids, a handful of teams from major conferences find themselves on the proverbial "bubble" for tourney bids.

If the WCC sends all three, which seems likely, that leaves only 32 at-large bids to go around.

At the moment, the teams in the most precarious positions are Pittsburgh, Villanova and Syracuse in the Big East; Virginia Tech, Miami and Maryland in the ACC; Oklahoma and Texas A&M in the Big 12; Creighton and Southern Illinois in the Missouri Valley Conference; Arizona State and Oregon in the PAC-10; and Arkansas in the SEC. Florida, last year's national champion, was likely eliminated with their regular season finale loss at Kentucky.

Of the majors, the Big East and PAC-10 tournaments open on Wednesday, while the ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten tourneys tip on Thursday.

The first to fall will probably be either Villanova or Syracuse, who face off at noon Eastern on Wednesday.

#12 Butler 70 Cleveland St. 55
The Butler Bulldogs earned an NCAA automatic bid Tuesday night by capturing the Horizon League title with a win over stubborn Cleveland State in the tournament final. In addition to banging home key three-pointers late in the game, the Bulldogs repeatedly stepped to the foul line and converted, hitting 24 of 32 free throws, while the Vikings of Cleveland State tried only 19 freebies, hitting 13 of them.

Butler's Mike Green led the scoring parade with 24 points, including converting 11-of-13 from the foul line.

Tar Heels Repel Duke, Capture ACC Title

#1 North Carolina 76 #6 Duke 68
With Ty Lawson back in the lineup, the Tar Heels (14-2, 29-2) took care of business in enemy territory and captured the ACC regular season title. Carolina bloked 15 shots, held the Blue Devils to 33% shooting and controlled the boards, 53-44. Duke remains the second-best team in the conference, and the tournament will only help determine which other teams - maybe as many as 4 more - get into the NCAA field.

Richmond 61 #8 Xavier 86
The Musketeers (26-5, 14-4) completed their Atlantic-10 regular season without point guard Drew Lavender, who was rested for this somewhat meaningless game, nursing a sore ankle. Xavier gets a bye for the first round of the A-10 tourney, and will next hit the hardwood on Thursday, in Atlantic City.

Cincinnati #13 Connecticut
This season-ender for both teams was postponed by bad weather and was rescheduled for 6:00 pm on Sunday.

IL Chicago 50 #14 Butler 66
Butler moves on the the Horizon League tourney finals against Cleveland State on Sunday.

#19 Notre Dame 67 South Florida 60
The Irish close out the regular season 14-4 in the Big East and 24-6 overall. They look like a solid 4, 5, or 6 seed.

Washington 73 #23 Washington State 76
This game only settles which is the better team in the state, which was pretty much already established. The Cougars are just waiting in the wings to do some damage in the NCAA tourney. Despite their ranking, they could forge a path to the Elite Eight.

Saturday's Season Finales Offer a Little Insight

#12 Louisville 52 #11 Georgetown 55
A little too much inside and outside by the Hoyas as they wrap up the Big East regular season title and win their 20th straight home game.

UAB 56 #2 Memphis 94
Another walk-through for the Tigers. 3rd straight 30-win season. Playing in Conference-USA will do that.

#16 Vanderbilt 73 Alabama 78
Vandy hitting a little bit of a rough patch after upsetting Tennessee last week. Second loss in their last three outings, both on the road. The Commodores were less-than-interested participants here, as a NCAA bid is already a foregone conclusion. Their performance in the SEC tournament will decide their seeding level.

Wofford 49 #25 Davidson 82
20 game win streak for the Davidson Wildcats, who may enter the NCAAs with the longest winning streak in the nation. They are a very dangerous team, likely to get a 12 or 13 seed. Losses to North Carolina, Duke and UCLA by 4, 6, and 12, respectively, look pretty good on their resume.

#7 Stanford 64 USC 77
The Cardinal has lost their last two, both on the road in SoCal, but this one really showed where the team is, mentally and physically. A 4 or 5 seed at best and hopes of making the Sweet 16 seem to be about all they' can expect.

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Creighton 67 #20 Drake 75
This hurts Creighton's chances of becoming the 4th team from the MVC to earn a bid, but only a little as Drake is the probable favorite over Illinois State in Sunday's MVC Tourney Final. Drake, Southern Illinois and Illinois State all seem likely to receive bids. This conference is very solid and it would be a shame if they don't send at least three teams, but Creighton as the fourth would even be better.

#10 Wisconsin 65 Northwestern 52
Badgers wrap up the Big 10 title with their 7th straight win. As solid as they come, Wisconsin finishes up 16-2 and 26-4 overall.

California 80 #3 UCLA 81
Bruins didn't need this one, but battled to the end, winning on a wild, behind-the-basket shot by Josh Shipp. UCLA will damage some PAC-10 teams' hopes during the conference tourney.

#5 Kansas 72 Texas A&M 55
An absolute rout and furthers the belief that the Aggies will not get an invitation to the Big Dance. Their fifth loss in their last seven games drops A&M to 8-8 in the conference and does not impress anyone, especially not the selection committee.

Kansas clinched at least a tie for the Big 12 title with Texas, who plays Oklahoma St. tomorrow in the regular season finale.

#21 Marquette 72 Syracuse 87
The Orangemen are in the most precarious position of probably any team in the nation concerning the NCAA selection process. This win was huge, making them 9-9 in the conference, and 19-12 overall. With a win over Georgetown figured in, the Orange probably need to win at least two games in the Big East tournament.

With five teams already in from the conference, Syracuse will be vying with Pitt, West Virginia, Cincy and Villanova for a final one or two spots. In all likelihood, the Big East sends seven, but just who goes is still up in the air. Stay tuned.

UCLA Is Ready, Downs Cardinal 77-67

#7 Stanford 67 #3 UCLA 77, OT
The UCLA Bruins wrapped up their third consecutive PAC-10 regular season title with a comeback overtime win over the very game Stanford Cardinal. Darren Collison led the Bruins, and all scorers, with 24 points. Russell Westbrook added 19 and Kevin Love chipped in 17.

UCLA will likely receive the #1 seed in the Western region of the upcoming NCAA tournament, though that could change in the meantime, depending on results of the PAC-10 tourney.

The Bruins are 15-2 in the conference with one home game with California remaining on Saturday. and their regular season record stands at 27-3. Stanford is locked into second in the conference at 13-4 and 24-5 overall.

Other probable entries to the NCAAs from the PAC-10 include a pair of 10-7 teams, USC and Washington State. Arizona, Arizona State and Oregon, all 8-9, will vie for one or possibly two more invitations for the conference. For them, the every remaining game is critical.

Failing Grades? #8 Xavier, #13 Connecticut, #24 Clemson Lose Focus

8 Xavier 66 St. Joseph's 71
This one has been in the offing for some time. The Musketeers ran away with the Atlantic-10 and St. Joe's (9-6, 17-10) needed the win. Xavier was 7-13 from the foul line, St. Joe's 17-20. Game over. On to the conference tourney.

#13 Connecticut 76 Providence 85
Road blues for UConn, probably not interested since they've already earned a 1st round bye in the Big East tournament.

#24 Clemson 75 Georgia Tech 80
Another game without meaning for a team heading to both their conference tourney and the big dance.

It's tough to read anything into these losses except for a real lack of preparedness for road opponents bent on making statements. The most interesting by far is the St. Joseph's story, the only winner tonight with an outside shot at making the NCCA field.

If you're looking for bubble teams, the Hawks are a good choice. Their chances will improve with each successive conference tournament victory.

Tar Heels Cement #1 Ranking; Ohio St. Saves Season

Florida St. 77 #1 North Carolina 90
Just a day after regaining the #1 ranking in the nation, North Carolina showed why they deserved the top spot with a routine home win over Florida State.

North Carolina was ranked #1 from preseason through the January 14 poll, after which they suffered their first loss of the season, 82-80, to Maryland. Since then, Memphis and Tennessee had assumed the lead, but both lost key games and with only one other loss - to Duke - the Tar Heels were the obvious choice, especially since Ty Lawson is fully recovered from injury and playing again.

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North Carolina will get their final test of the regular season and a chance to make amends at Duke on Saturday. The Blue Devils upended North Carolina a month ago, 89-78 at Chapel Hill. Lawson was inactive for that game, but he will be ready to put in his best effort in a game that will determine the ACC regular season champion, if Duke takes care of business Wednesday night at Virginia.

Lawson scored 10 points in 20 minutes against the Seminoles, and looks to be ready to play 30 or more minutes against Duke's guards, Greg Paulus and Jon Scheyer.

#15 Purdue 77 Ohio State 80 OT
The Buckeyes have been knocking on the Big Ten door the last few games and finally they just knocked it down with a big win that could pave the way for an Ohio State entry into the NCAA field.

The Buckeyes held Purdue to 41% shooting while hitting 48% themselves. Jamar Butler led all scorers with 25 points as Ohio State battled into overtime with one of the co-leaders of the conference.

The loss dropped the 14-3 Boilermakers a 1/2-game behind 14-2 Wisconsin and a 1/2-game ahead of 13-3 Indiana.

While the game certainly had implications to the tight Big Ten title race, it was the most important win of the season for the Buckeyes, who improved to 9-8 in conference play and 18-12 overall with a final regular season game and the Big Ten tourney ahead.

Ohio State had lost four straight and sorely needed a win to stay in consideration for post-season play.

Nebraska 66 #9 Texas 70
A good showing by the Cornhuskers wasn't enough to keep them on the bubble for the big dance as they dropped to 6-9 in conference play. The Longhorns play their final game of the regular season at home Sunday against Oklahoma State.

Florida Gulf Coast 37 #21 Marquette 67
This was like practice for Marquette, which is ranked, plays most of their games in the Big East and is looking ahead to the post season. The Golden Eagles starters only played 21-30 minutes, no player from Florida Gulf Coast scored more than six points as their record fell to 10-21. Not nice.

Kansas Routs Texas Tech, 109-51

Texas Tech 51 #5 Kansas 109
Nothing like a little home cooking - and 60% shooting - to get ready for the rigors of postseason play and the Jayhawks chalked up an enormous victory, notching their season high in points as Kansas humbled the Red Raiders by 58 points.

Kansas also held Tech to 29% shooting, while putting six players in double figures. None of the Jayhawks' starters played more than 21 minutes as Kansas built at 51-26 halftime lead and made the second half even more miserable for Patrick Knight and his troops.

The loss may have ruined any chance the Red Raiders had for making the NCAA tournament, as they dropped to 7-8 in Big 12 play and 16-13 overall. Kansas completes the regular season at Texas A&M on Saturday, and unless Texas loses to either Oklahoma State or Nebraska, KU and the Longhorns will likely finish the regular season tied for the conference title.

if that occurs, Texas can lay claim to bragging rights due to a Feb. 11, 72-69 win over the Jayhawks, so the #1 Midwest seed should come down to whichever team performs better in the Big 12 tourney.

Weekend Update: Spartans, Red Raiders upset Hoosiers, Longhorns

We are officially just two weeks away from Selection Sunday and the start of the NCAA tournament.

A number of games over the weekend helped and/or hurt teams' chances to make the Big Dance, but none was bigger than Michigan State's enormous win over Indiana.

Sunday

#12 Indiana 74 #19 Michigan St. 103
This win should be good enough to put the Spartans into the NCAA field. Totally unexpected, Michigan State, the win ended a three-game losing streak against ranked conference opposition. At 11-5 with a pair of road games remaining, the Spartans really needed this confidence builder.

They now move from the bubble to the "Most Likely" category for a bid, probably a 6 or 7, making them upset material.

Michigan State shot 61% for the game, including 13-24 three-pointers, registering a season-high single-game score.

Indiana dropped a game behind co-Big Ten leaders Purdue and Wisconsin, both at 14-2.

Kentucky 60 #1 Tennessee 63
This could have been a blowout, but the Wildcats battled back from being down as many as 15 in the first half to make a game of it, actually taking a short lead midway through the second half. Kentucky just doesn't stack up on paper, but they're going to be in the tournament as the best team with less than 20 wins and more than 10 losses because they are 10-4 in the SEC. Weird. They could be one and done or win three games. They're the most enigmatic team in the nation.

#17 Notre Dame 98 DePaul 91
The Irish clinched a first round bye in the upcoming Big East tournament and still has an outside chance at winning the regular season title. Generally, Notre Dame doesn't play well on the road, but they got this one at DePaul and have just two games left - St. John's and at South Florida.

They're game-ready for Madison Square Garden.

Villanova 54 #13 Louisville 68
The Cardinals were just too dominant inside for gritty Villanova, which really could have used a win. At 7-9 and 17-11 overall, the Wildcats need to win the last two regular season games and at least one in the Big East tourney to have even a chance at consideration for more playing time.

#4 UCLA 68 Arizona 66
Arizona almost pulled off this upset - and it would have been huge - but the Bruins escaped and the Wildcats are bubbling badly at 7-9 and 17-12. The PAC-10 would have to send six teams for Arizona to sneak in, and that's questionable.

Saturday

2 Memphis 76 Southern Miss. 67
Good showing by Southern Miss (11-3, 21-8) means they'll be the second team from Conference-USA. Others may include Houston and UCF, but no more than four total.

#3 UNC 90 Boston College 80
Just another day at the office for the Tar Heels, who could be ranked #1 come Monday afternoon.

#5 Texas 80 Texas Tech 83
Shocker of the day as the Red Raiders swarmed the Longhorns and made their case for inclusion in the field of 65. But was it too late. Tech is 7-7 and 16-12 overall, but hold wins over both Kansas and Texas.

Kansas St. 74 #6 Kansas 88
Chalk up consecutive loss #4 for the Wildcats, who are fading faster than a tie-died t-shirt. Kansas takes back the lead in the Big 12. At 18-10, K-State has gone from a tournament lock a bubble team in just two weeks.

#7 Duke 87 N.C. St. 86
Wolfpack controlled this game for 39 minutes. Coach K gets win #800 as the Duke boys never quit.

George Washington 56 #9 Xavier 66
No surprise. The X-Men are good for a #3 or 4 seed.

#22 Washington St. 53 #8 Stanford 60
Look out for the Cardinal, winners of four straight and 11 of their last 12. They've beaten Wash St. twice now and get a rematch with UCLA Thursday night.

#11 Georgetown 70 #21 Marquette 68
Despite the loss, Marquette cemented their status as an invitee to the NCAA tourney. Georgetown struggled, but winning ugly becomes this very dangerous team.

Detroit 31 #14 Butler 65
It's Official. Butler is the Horizon League champion.

W. Virginia 71 #15 Connecticut 79
The Mountaineers didn't need this game at 9-7 and 20-9 overall, though it certainly would have helped. They're likely to get a bid, probably a 9 or 10.

Northwestern 43 #16 Purdue 68
Purdue and Wisconsin remain tied for the Big Ten lead at 14-2.

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#18 Vanderbilt 73 Arkansas 78
This was an enormous win by the Razorbacks. Vandy was coming off an upset of Tennessee and Arkansas may have caught them a little flat-footed. But, in the very contentious SEC, Arkansas needed a Top 25 win and got it when it counted.

Wichita St. 63 #20 Drake 73
Ho-hum. Drake clinched the MVC about a month ago.

#23 Kent St. 83 Bowling Green 89
Bit of an upset, but Kent State still looks like the team to beat in the Mid-American. Top 25 ranking? I don't know.

#25 St. Mary's 76 #24 Gonzaga 88
Talk about rising to the occasion! The Zags avenged an earlier loss to the Gaels and can wrap up the West Coast Conference title with a win over Santa Clara on Monday.

Pittsburgh 82 Syracuse 77
Pitt came from 14 down late in the second half to salvage what's left of their season. Still on the bubble at least until the Big East Tourney. Syracuse is out.

PAC-10: Blowout City

#17 Notre Dame 85 #13 Louisville 90
This game wasn't nearly as close as the score indicates. Louisville held a 17-point lead with less than 7 minutes to play, but their inability to shoot free throws (20-32, 63%) and Notre Dame's streaky 3-point shooters made it a little exciting at the end. Luke Harangody scored a game-high 40 points (along with 12 boards) for the Irish, but David Padgett's 26 mattered more.

Wright St. 61 #14 Butler 66
Butler wrapped up the Horizon League title with a win over their closest rival, leading almost from start to finish. The Bulldogs actually have clinched only a tie for the regular season title, but their last game is at home against last place Detroit, over which the Bulldogs already have a win. Butler's a shoo-in for the tourney, but Wright State will have to play well in the upcoming conference tourney to be considered for more March play.

#19 Michigan St. 42 #10 Wisconsin 57
Brian Butch nailed 4 of 6 three-pointers and the Badgers hammered the slumping Spartans, who have now lost 5 of their last 8. Michigan State has three games remaining, against Indiana Sunday, before closing out the schedule at Illinois and at Ohio State. They're almost sure to lose two of those games, possibly all three. The team has no depth and the starters aren't even very good. Somehow, they'll finish with eight or nine losses, including one more in the Big Ten tourney and an invite to the field. Watch where the Spartans are seeded (if they get in, there's a chance they won't make it) because they're upset material for sure.

Wisconsin is still locked in with Indiana and Purdue atop the Big Ten standings. Each team has just two losses. The Badgers currently are a 1/2-game leader due to having played one additional game.

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Washington 79 #8 Stanford 82
The Cardinal keeps winning and the PAC-10 post-season dance party continues to receive regrets. The Huskies' slim chances have departed, as have those the Oregon Ducks. Stanford still has a shot at the regular season crown, though it would take a UCLA loss. The Cardinals head down the coast for a March 6 showdown with the Bruins following Saturday's home game with Washington State.

4 UCLA 70 Arizona St. 49
Looks like "that's all folks" for the Sun Devils, who got tanned by the Bruins and dropped to 7-8 in the conference. Worse, it was AZST's 10th loss overall. Off the bubble and into the NIT pit.

#22 Washington St. 70 California 49
This wasn't close, ever. Cal is 6-9 and done for the season.

Four teams from the PAC-10 will go to the NCAA's: UCLA, Stanford, Washington St. and USC (barely). The only other team with a chance is Arizona, but USA pummeled them by 12 last night. Besides, the Wildcats are only 7-8 in the conf., 17-11 overall, easy to dismiss.

Big East, SEC Pack Punch: Feb. 27 College Hoops Notes

Five games involved teams ranked in the Top 25, all of which won over unranked opponents.

#6 Kansas 75 Iowa St. 64
Jayhawks put it all together in this road rout. Darrell Arthur led the scoring parade with 19 points in 31 minutes. Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers each hit 3-4 three-pointers and scored 15. Kansas held a 43-30 rebounding edge. Jayhawks appear ready to avenge their loss to K-State, when the Wildcats come calling on Saturday.

Tulsa 67 #2 Memphis 82
A total breeze for the Tigers, but that's what happens when you hit 13-25 from beyond the arc.

Minnesota 53 #16 Purdue 65
Boilermakers continue to play great defense and hit perimeter shots, though being outrebounded 43-29 is a cause for concern. Purdue forced 20 turnovers, which somewhat balances things out.

GA Tech 58 #7 Duke 71
Blue Devils hit only 2 of 15 3-pointers, but still breezed as the Yellow jackets couldn't handle the pressure, turning the ball over 20 times.

St. John's 52 #11 Georgetown 64
Smothering the Johnnies isn't saying much. Roy Hibbert's 17 points, 3 rebounds and 4 fouls speaks volumes about this team's readiness for serious competition. Three rebounds? Come on.

Key games from around the nation:

Cincinnati 67 Pittsburgh 73
A much-needed win for the Panthers, but how far can Sam Young and DeJuan Blair (20 and 18 points, respectively) take them? Big rebounding edge (37-25) to the Bearcats, but Pitt won it at the free throw line. These two now tied in the Big east standings at 8-7.

West Virginia 85 DePaul 73
Nice win for the Mountaineers, who have won 4 of their last 5. The offense continues to click. They hit 53% overall and 77% from the foul line, which bodes well for the immediate future. Saturday's game at UConn ought to be a beauty. Big East is still wide open, with 9 teams vying for 7, maybe 8 tickets to the big dance. Mountaineers got a leg up with this win, making them 9-6, in sixth place.

Clemson 79 Miami (FL) 69
A key win for the Tigers, now 8-5 in the ACC and a cinch to make the field of 65. Tough loss for Miami, after winning four straight, they drop to 6-7 in the conference, but close out the regular season with Virginia and BC at home, then Florida St., away. Still hope for the Hurricanes.

Texas Tech 54 Texas A&M 98
Blowout win for the Aggies keeps them in the chase, but they've dropped out of the Top 25 and are just 7-6 in the Big 12. This ended a 3-game skid for A&M, which scored 56 1st-half points and cruised from there.

Oklahoma 45 Nebraska 63
Cornhuskers are red-hot, having won three straight, improving to 6-7 in the conference. Oklahoma St., Texas and Colorado close out the season. will 8-8 in the Big 12 translate to a dance pass? Depends on how the 'Huskers do in the Big 12 tourney. Stay tuned.

In the SEC, Florida won at Georgia, 77-64, improving to 8-5, 21-7. Defending champs look good to return to the NCAA tournament. Mississippi St. turned back Auburn, 89-78, making the Bulldogs 11-3 and clinching at least a tie for the SEC West title. Punch their ticket. Tough road for the Razorbacks, losing at Alabama, 59-56. Arkansas is now 7-6 in conference and on the outside looking in, because Kentucky dumped Mississippi, 58-54, making the Wildcats 10-3 in the SEC East and good enough to meet the committee's approval.

Catch all the college hoops action and key analysis at College Basketball Daily

Tough Being on Top: Vols Lose to Vandy One Day After Ranking #1

#1 Tennessee 69 #18 Vanderbilt 72
Chris Lofton couldn't hit a three-pointer late in the game, but his teammates only managed one for the whole game.

Just one day after reaching the #1 ranking for the first time in school history, the Tennessee Volunteers suffered a letdown following their upset of Memphis on Saturday and fell to SEC East rival Vanderbilt. Lofton scored 25 points, hitting 6 of 15 treys, but his last three were all misses, as the Vols could not overcome Shan Foster's 32 points.

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Foster put the Commodores on his back and led them to a huge win, hitting 9-of-13 from the field, including 6-of-9 3-pointers and 8-of-11 from the foul line.

Tennessee's shooters were off all night, shooting just 32% for the game. Besides Lofton, the Vols hit only 1 of 11 from beyond the arc, by JaJuan Smith, who finished with 9 points.

Despite the horrible shooting, Tennessee (11-2, 25-3) kept the game close. It was only their second SEC loss, the other coming against Kentucky. The Vols beat Vanderbilt (9-4, 24-4), 80-60, back on January 17 and host Kentucky, with a chance to avenge their earlier loss, on Sunday.

A win over the Wildcats would all but secure the best record in the conference, the SEC East title, the top seed in the SEC tourney and a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Kentucky is 9-3 in the conference and hosts Mississippi tonight.

Ohio St. 69 #12 Indiana 72
Once again, the Buckeyes came up just short. Ohio State (17-11, 8-7) has now lost three straight and five of their last seven, placing them in an iffy, bubbelicious position for the NCAA tourney.

Hoosier Armon Bassett led the scoring with 23 points. Stalwart scorers Eric Gordon and D.J. White had 17 and 16, respectively.

This was the first home game for Dan Dakich, who replaced disgraced Kelvin Sampson, who retired on Friday amid a swirl of recruiting violation allegations and NCAA sanctions. Dakich was greeted warmly by the home crowd as Indiana (13-2, 24-4) won for the second straight time with Dakich as coach and has racked up four straight overall.

#15 Connecticut 79 Rutgers 61
The Huskies got back to business after losing to Villanova on Saturday, crushing an undermanned Rutgers team that was thoroughly outplayed by taller, faster UConn players. The Huskies outshot the Scarlet Knights, 52-42%, and outrebounded them, 41-24.

It was the 8th straight loss for Rutgers, which fell to the bottom of the Big East, at 2-14 and 10-19 overall.

The Huskies (11-4, 22-6) still trail 12-3 Louisville and Georgetown by one game in the Big east standings. Sandwiched in between is Notre Dame at 11-3. All the teams have three regular season games left, except the Irish, which has four.

UConn doesn't play any of the top three, but Louisville has both Notre Dame and Georgetown on the schedule. The Hoyas will have to contend not only with Louisville, but also with Marquette (11-5, 21-6). Notre Dame may just sneak in a win the Big East title. Following the tilt at Louisville Thursday night, they play at DePaul, host St. John's and finish at South Florida. Those three teams are a combined 11-32 in conference play.

#20 Drake 83 Missouri St. 86
The Missouri Valley conference is one of the best in the nation, top to bottom. Ample proof of that statement was made by Missouri State last night, knocking off top dog Drake in a game that was anything but a fluke. The Bears of Missouri State are 8th (of 10) in the conference standings with a 7-10 record, but are 15-15 overall and have already posted wins over Bradley, Indiana St., Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa, all teams ahead of them in the standings.

Drake, the only team from the conference ranked, has already wrapped up the MVC title, though they've now lost three of their last four in the conference. The upcoming conference tournament should produce a winner other than the Bulldogs and the second entrant to the NCAAs. The conference could easily place four solid teams into the field of 65.

Correction: In a post last week, I mistakenly mentioned that Selection Sunday was March 9. It is actually March 16, which means the championship game will be held on Monday, April 7.

More Top 25 Wins on Monday

Make it eight straight for Top 25 teams over unranked opponents, as Marquette, Texas and St. Mary's added to the five Top 25 wins Sunday.

#21 Marquette 85 Villanova 75
This was a nice win for the Golden Eagles, their fifth straight overall and third road win in succession. Dominic James was on fire for Marquette, leading all scorers on 9-13 shooting for 25 points.

Next, Georgetown comes calling on Saturday and the Hoyas haven't been exactly overpowering lately. Marquette, with a win, could end the season on a nine-game streak, because only creampuff Florida Gulf Coast and a trip to the Dome at Syracuse remain.

Villanova goes back on the bubble with a 7-8 Big East record.

#5 Texas 74 Kansas St. 65
D.J. Augustin scored 24 as the Longhorns handed K-State their third straight loss. Michael Beasley put up 30, but hasn't gotten much help from his teammates of late.

It doesn't get any easier for the Wildcats, as they travel to Kansas to tilt with the Jayhawks on Saturday. After that, though, the season concludes against the bottom two in the Big 12, Colorado and Iowa State. The conference tournament will be a major factor in determining of seedings for the big dance.

San Diego 54 #25 St. Mary's 61
This was expected, with the Gaels being at home following a rare loss, but the future for St. Mary's seems to be that of a martyr against a 1 or 2 seed the second week of March.

Separation Sunday for College Basketball

Six Top 25 teams took to the hardwoods on Sunday and all six defeated teams in their conference which had high hopes prior to tip-off. By the end of the day, teams heading for the Big Dance sent a reality check to those chasing the dream.

Wake Forest 73 #3 North Carolina 89
The Tar Heels saw what the Dekes did to Duke, so they invited them over for a little hard medicine. The home team shot 56% from the field and 77% from the foul line. Tyler Hansbrough scored 29 points. Even without Ty Lawson, who may be back by the weekend, the Tar Heels must be feared and respected.

California 69 #9 Stanford 79
Nothing special here except for another home win for the Cardinal. Cal has a good team, and they own wins over USC and Washington State, both of which they face over the next two weeks. Closing out the regular season isn't going to aid their cause, though, nor is their current 6-8 PAC-10 record.

#10 Xavier 57 Dayton 51
The X-Men put the final nail in the Flyers' coffin - their 8th loss against just five wins in the A-10. At 17-9 overall, Dayton may need another couple of wins to just make it to the NIT.

#11 Wisconsin 58 Ohio St. 53
Nice try by the Buckeyes, who would be the fifth team from the Big 10 to make the field of 65, but their schedule says they're not going to make it. Their final four games are at Indiana, at Minnesota, then home against Purdue and Michigan State.

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If they win just one, presumably against the Gophers, they'll finish 9-9 in the league and 18-13 overall. NIT material. Better luck next year. If the committee lets them in, it's a travesty unless the Buckeyes somehow win two or three of these games and don't implode in the Big Ten Tourney. Michigan State, now in 4th place in the conference, is marginal at best, and these guys can't even beat them.

#18 Louisville 75 Pittsburgh 73
Pitt played one of its best games of the season and they still lost by a bucket. David Padgett and Edgar Sosa had their way with the Panthers, going 9-13 and 7-11, respectively. No sustained defensive effort and a third straight loss (this one at home) has put the Panthers' season on the edge. There's still time, but Cincy and West Virginia have passed them in the standings. The Panthers have them both on the remaining schedule, plus Syracuse and DePaul.

Syracuse 87 #21 Notre Dame 94
Cross off the 'Cuse. Whether they were employing coach Boeheim's vaunted 2-3 defense or man-on-man, Kyle McAlarney torched them for 30 points, hitting an incredible 9-of-11 3-pointers. Syracuse falls to 7-8 in the Big East and 17-11 overall. There are to many teams already in front of them for the Orange to be even considered to be on the bubble. They're young and suffered a number of key injuries this season, so they'll be back with a bullet next season.

Vols Top Tigers, Claim #1; Notes from Saturday, Feb. 23

#2 Tennessee 66 #1 Memphis 62
In the most widely-anticipated game of the season, #2 Tennessee marched into Memphis and ended the Tigers' 25-game winning streak, while also stopping the nation's longest home winning streak at 47 games and likely knocking the Tigers off the #1 ranking perch when a new Top 25 poll comes out on Monday.

For the Volunteers, it was largely a team effort, with just three players in double figures. Tyler Smith led the way with 18 points. Wayne Chism and J.P. Prince added 13 apiece. JaJuan Smith scored 9 and grabbed 10 rebounds. Chris Lofton, regarded by many as the best all-around player on the team, was guarded tightly all night and finished with just 7 points on 2-11 shooting. Lofton misfired on all four of his 3-point attempts.

The game was tight throughout, with neither team opening more than a 7-point lead. Memphis, one of the worst foul shooting teams in the nation, hit just 8 of 17 free throws. They also hoisted 27 3-balls, hitting just 8.

Inability to score from behind any line, be it the foul line or 3-point line, is going to be a killer come tourney time, which is why Memphis should not go into the NCAA tournament as a #1 seed. Despite their lofty record, they play in a weak conference, shoot just 58% from the charity stripe and only 34% from the 3-point arc. While their 3-ball stat number is acceptable, the foul shooting figure is not. In fact it's horrible and partly why they lost to Tennessee last night and won't win a national championship this season. Little things matter come tourney time and hitting freebies becomes large, especially if you can't make them.

Around the NCAA on Saturday:

#4 Kansas 60 Oklahoma St. 61
The Big 12 is not very predictable. At least it wasn't yesterday. Of the four ranked Big 12 teams playing on Saturday, three of the lost. BTW: the Cowboys improved to 5-7 in the conference and close out the season with Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. 8-8 or 9-7 could get them a dance card.

St. John's 56 #5 Duke 86
Who scheduled this? Obviously, St. John's was getting a nice cut of the gate. Duke needed a little break after losing two straight. This was better.

Oregon 65 #6 UCLA 75
The Ducks hung around until UCLA got serious. Oregon is just a shade smallish and it hurts them. If their shooters get hot, as they were in the first half of this game, they can be dangerous. UCLA's defense is tremendous. They look more and more like a #1 seed every time they hit the court.

Oklahoma 45 #7 Texas 62
A breeze for the Longhorns as G.J. Augustin scored 19.

#16 Drake 71 #8 Butler 64
Earth to Horizon League: There are probably four or five teams in the Missouri Valley conference better than Butler.

Cincinnati 53 #12 Georgetown 73
The Hoyas won for all the wrong reasons. They were outrebounded, but hit 27 of 35 free throws (77%). Roy Hibbert scored 12 points and had 3 rebounds in 31 minutes. He needs anger management. to make him mad. There's never been such a mild-mannered big man, ever. The Hoyas are, however, one of the better defensive teams out there, but teams with good post players can beat them.

#13 Connecticut 65 Villanova 67
Nova's got game, for sure, and they sorely needed this win to keep their tourney hopes alive. They're now 7-7 in the Big East. Respect. You have to earn it.

Arizona 65 #17 Washington St. 55
This was somewhat of a shock because Arizona had been doing a death spiral, losing four of their last five coming in, but the Cougars hit only 5 of 22 3-pointers while the Wildcats hit 8 of 14. At 7-7 in the PAC-10, Arizona is still alive. The Cougars matched their season-low in scoring, and are 2-4 against teams in California (they beat USC twice). Their next two games are at Cal and at Stanford. Trouble.

Iowa 52 #19 Michigan St. 66
Tom Izzo breathed a real sigh of relief when this one was over. The Spartans have struggled against the best in the Big 10, and have Wisconsin and Indiana up next, then close out the season at Illinois and Ohio State. Still 10-4 in the conference, they need to win three of those final four to avoid having to face an 8, 9, or 10 seed in the tourney. They have issues with everything from perimeter shooting to fundamental defense.

Georgia 74 #20 Vanderbilt 86
The Commodores ought to move up in the rankings. They're probably no worse than 15th nationally.

Nebraska 65 #22 Texas A&M 59
The Aggies are deflating faster than a blow-up doll on Valentine's Day. Yesterday, I put them in the "likely" column to make the NCAA tournament. Put me in the "idiot" column. They suck, and I was suckered.

Kent St. 65 #23 St. Mary's 57
We all knew Kent State was better than St. Mary's didn't we? Well, didn't we?

#24 Kansas St. 86 Baylor 92
A big win for Baylor, probably enough to get their ticket punched for the big dance. Good on them. K-State is still growing and maybe can get things right during the Big 12 Tourney. They have lots of upside.

Rutgers 48 #25 Marquette 78
That's four straight wins for the Golden Eagles, one of the real sleepers in the country. They have one of the best inside-outside tandems in Lazar Hayward and Jerel McNeal and when they go to their 3-guard offense with Wesley Matthews and Dominic James, they turn up the heat from the perimeter and on defense. The rest of the field better look out for these guys in March because they're truly dangerous.

College Basketball March Madness: Bubble Trouble

With the month of Madness just a week away, it's not too early to start looking at which teams have to amp it up a bit to make the field of 65 for the NCAA Tournament. Here's a quick peek at teams that are surely in, those with a solid shot and those on the bubble.

No-Doubters: These teams can relax. They're 99% assured of getting in, no matter what.

Memphis
Tennessee
Kansas
North Carolina
Texas
Duke
Butler
Drake
Vanderbilt
Stanford
UCLA
Washington St.
Georgetown
Louisville
Notre Dame
Indiana
Wisconsin
Purdue
St. Mary's
Gonzaga
Xavier
Connecticut
Kansas State
America East Conference Champion
Atlantic Sun Conference Champion
Big Sky Conference Champion
Big South Conference Champion
Big West Conference Champion
Colonial Athletic Association Champion
Ivy League Champion
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champion
Mid-American Conference Champion
Mid-Continent Conference Champion
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champion
Mountain West Conference Champion
Northeast Conference Champion
Ohio Valley Conference Champion
Patriot League Conference Champion
Southern Conference Champion
Southland Conference Champion
Southwestern Athletic Conference Champion
Sun Belt Conference Champion
Western Athletic Conference Champion

That's 43 spots already taken. I've included the likely winners or runners-up from the major conferences as individual teams, like Tennessee in the SEC, Duke and North Carolina in the ACC, etc.

That leaves 22 spots remaining to be filled. All records are as of Friday, Feb. 22.

Likely candidates:
Clemson 19-7
Wake Forest 16-8
Marquette 19-6, ,
Michigan St. 21-5, ,
St. Joseph's 16-8
Texas A&M 20-6
Houston 19-6
Wright St. 20-8

That's 8 almost certain to get in, leaving just 14 more spots, but, uh-oh, there are 31 teams on the bubble (and there may be a couple I missed from minor conferences). Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Michigan State and Marquette could get bumped from the likely list if they lose 3 or more games or take early exits from conference tourneys. Overall, however, those still look like they'll make the grade.

On the Bubble:

ACC: Virginia Tech 15-11, Miami 18-7, Maryland 17-10 - The Terps lay claim to a win over North Carolina. Miami upset Duke last week and late-season wins count more. The Hokies have beaten Maryland twice, but essentially, nobody else. With Maryland losing to Miami on Saturday, give the Hurricanes the edge and maybe just five teams from the ACC go dancing.

Big East: Cincinnati 13-12, West Virginia 18-8, Pittsburgh 19-7, Syracuse 17-10, Villanova 16-9 - With 16 teams in the conference, the Big East could legitimately send 7 teams to the party. Villanova got a huge boost on Saturday, breaking UConn's 10-game win streak. Cincy lost to Georgetown, and 13 losses is going to be tough to overcome, even though the Bearcats are now 8-6 in the conference. Pitt's been sketchy to say the least, losing three of their last five. The 'Cuse and Mountaineers could make some noise in the Big East tourney and grab a bid.

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Big Ten: Ohio St. 17-9, Minnesota 16-9 - Both teams need to step it up, though it is conceivable that the Big Ten only sends four teams and both of these are out. Most of the smart money is on Ohio State.

Big 12: Oklahoma 18-8; Baylor, 17-8, Texas Tech, 14-11 - Doubtful that even two of these can get to the tourney unless the Aggies continue to implode. Baylor, hot early, needs to win a couple more. The Red Raiders evened their Big 12 record at 6-6, plus their recent win over K-State will look good to the committee, but they have A&M, Texas and Kansas all in a row upcoming. The Sooners have quietly hung around, and early wins over Arkansas, Gonzaga, West Virginia and Baylor should go a long way.

Conference USA: UAB 18-8 - With Memphis running the table in the C-USA and Houston playing well, UAB is about all that's left from this weakened conference.

Mid-American: Akron 9-4, 19-7; W. Michigan 9-3, 15-10 - Kent State looks like the team to beat, and one of these, but not both, could make the final cut.

Missouri Valley: Illinois St. 11-5, 19-8; Southern Ill. 10-6, 15-12; Creighton 9-7,18-8; Bradley, 9-7, 16-12 - With Drake odds-on to win the Missouri Valley title, each of these teams are deserving of a closer look. Bradley has won their last two, against Creighton and Drake, the two Illinois schools are solid. Illinois State had a nine-game win streak earlier in the year that included four straight road wins. The Salukis have won three straight and have loads of playoff experience, plus that great name. Lots to like in the land of the Ozarks and the tournament committee might take a total of four teams from this excellent mid-major.

Northeast: Robert Morris 13-2, 22-6 and Wagner 13-2, 20-6 - these two tip on Saturday, so the winner will likely take the Northeast Conference Champion championship. A sleeper is Sacred Heart, which owns a win over Robert Morris.

PAC-10 USC 7-6, 16-9, Arizona St. 6-7, 16-9, California 6-7, 15-9 , Arizona 6-7, 16-10, Oregon 6-8, 15-11, Washington 6-8, 15-12 - How many Pac-10 teams are going to go? Four, five? Almost certainly not six. That means four of these will miss out. While USC has a leg up in conference play, they don't look particularly well-balanced and could miss out, especially with big games at home vs. Cal and Stanford and a road trip to both Arizona teams coming up. Washington will have the toughest time, and Arizona hasn't impressed all season. From the looks of it, Arizona State, Cal and Oregon will battle it out for two spots.

SEC: Kentucky 8-3, 14-10, Florida 7-5, 20-7, Mississippi St. 8-3, 17-8 , Arkansas 7-4, 18-7, Mississippi 4-7, 18-7 - After Tennessee and Vandy, everybody in the SEC is on the bubble. Figuring that the conference will send a maximum of six teams to the tourney, two of these aren't going to make it and the decision will likely come down to the SEC tournament. Of these, Mississippi, with that losing conference record, looks the weakest. Kentucky beat Arkansas on Saturday and upped their conference record to 9-3. Florida, Mississippi St. and Arkansas may all go, if Kentucky gets their pass.

Confused? You should be. I've identified 16-19 teams on the bubble with good chances of moving forward, but, like I said earlier, only 14 can go. Some good teams will be bumped, as is usually the case.

I'll provide another update next Saturday. Selection Sunday is March 9, so why haven't you bookmarked College Basketball Daily?

Irish Win 35th Straight Home Game

Pittsburgh 70 (21) Notre Dame 82
Luke Harangody scored 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as the Irish ran their home win streak to 35 games.

Pitt made it difficult. Notre Dame overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half for the win. 5'11" Tory Jackson hauled in a career-high 13 rebounds.

The win tied the Irish with UConn at 10-3 in the Big East. The two trail Georgetown and Louisville, both at 11-3, by 1/2-game.

Pitt continues to struggle through their Big east schedule. The Panthers dropped to 7-6 in league play, have lost two straight and host Louisville on Sunday.

Other Top 25 Scores:

Oregon St. 49 (6) UCLA 84
Duquesne 48 (10) Xavier 75
Arizona St. 47 (17) Washington St. 59

Duke, K-State Stunned: College Hoops Notes from Feb. 19 & 20

Tuesday's Results

DePaul 60 (13) Connecticut 65
Punch that ticket to the dance for the Huskies. Any team capable of winning 10 straight in any conference, much less the Big East, has earned the right to play on.

(14) Purdue 68 (15) Indiana 77
Indiana put all concerns over the future of coach Kelvin Sampson behind them as the Hoosiers' tremendous trio of Eric Gordon, A.J. White and Armon Bassett scored 22, 19 and 16, respectively. White and Bassett controlled the boards, which the Hoosiers won convincingly, 46-30. White had 15 rebounds, while Bassett finished with 8.

The win tightened the race in the Big Ten, with Purdue a 1/2-game up - at 12-2 - on both Indiana and Wisconsin, both with 11-2 records.

Bradley 72 (16) Drake 71
Disappointment for Bulldog fans as Drake suffered its first home loss of the season, but, with only two conference games remaining the Missouri Valley is already a done deal. Drake plays at Butler on Saturday.

Wednesday's Results:

(1) Memphis 97 Tulane 71
Coach John Calipari notched career win #400 as his Memphis Tigers built a 19-point lead at the half and coasted to their 26th straight win and a 12-0 conference record in advance of their Saturday meeting with #2 Tennessee. Chris Douglas-Roberts had 20 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 29 on 13-17 shooting, including 2-of-3 three-pointers.

Auburn 70 (2) Tennessee 89
In one of their easier wins of the season, the Vols led 46-20 at the half and cruised to their 24th win against just 2 losses. At 10-1, Tennessee leads the SEC East by two games over Kentucky.

(3) North Carolina 84 NC State 70
Once again, Tyler Hansbrough led the way for the 24-2 Tar Heels, with 32 points and 12 rebounds. Hansbrough, a strong candidate for player of the year honors, hit 11 of 19 shots from the field and canned 10-13 free throws.

(5) Duke 95 Miami (FL) 96
Sophomore Dwayne Collins scored a season-high 26 points, while Duke's Greg Paulus struggled through a tough shooting night as Miami upset #5 Duke. Leading 41-36 at halftime, the Hurricanes went on a 18-3 run to open the second half, building a 20-point lead which proved insurmountable. Collins was nearly unstoppable inside, connecting on 12 of 14 shots, most of them from point-blank range. Jon Scheyer kept Duke in the game, hitting 5 of 9 three-pointers and a game high 27 points. Duke closed the gap and scored at the buzzer, but still fell short. Paulus was 3-12 from the field and finished with 12 points.

The loss dropped Duke into a tie with North Carolina for the ACC lead. Miami improved to 5-6 in the conference and 18-7 to keep their post-season hopes alive

(8) Butler 51 Illinois-Chicago 46
In a night loaded with blowouts, this Horizon League matchup provided some excitement. A.J. Graves hit his 4th three-pointer of the game with 48 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 49-46 lead and his two free throws with 2 seconds left sealed the win. Butler has clinched at least a tie for the conference title and can wrap it up with a win over arch-rival, 2nd place, Wright St. next Thursday.

(11) Wisconsin 71 Illinois 57
The Badgers won their third straight and tied Purdue atop the Big Ten at 12-2. Trevon Hughes scored 18 points and Marcus Landry had 17.

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Penn St. 49 (19) Michigan St. 86
After losing three of their last four, the Spartans got back on track, avenging a Feb. 2 loss at Penn State. They did it in a big way, leading by as many as 35 points in the second half before Tom Izzo emptied his bench. Eleven different Michigan State players had at least a bucket as the Spartans shot 58% for the game.

(24) Kansas St. 64 Nebraska 71
Michael Beasley had an off night, hitting just one of six three-point attempts and finished with 17 points as the Wildcats dropped a key road game. The loss dropped K-State to 8-3 in the Big 12, a game behind leaders Kansas and Texas.

(25) Marquette 73 St. John's 64
Jerel McNeil had 20 points and Dominic James scored 19, boosting Marquette's season record to 19-6.

Note: Home teams listed second in line scores; AP rankings in parentheses.

College Hoops Scores and Notes for Feb. 18

(10) Xavier 81 Rhode Island 77
The X-Men are now 10-1 in the A-10, with a three-game lead over 7-4 St. Joseph's and 3 1/2 over 3rd place Richmond, the two teams against whom the Musketeers finish the regular season. With the lead they have, the games may be, well, academic. Seven Xavier players scored 8 or more points, led by senior forward Josh Duncan's 23.

(12) Georgetown 68 Providence 58
Roy Hibbert led the Hoyas with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. The win kept them tied with Louisville atop the Big East standings at 11-3.

Syracuse 50 (18) Louisville 61
Every game critical for the Orangemen, but Louisville (11-3, Big East) was too much down the stretch. Syracuse shot just 28% for the game and hit just 2 of 20 three-pointers.

(22) Texas A&M 50 (7) Texas 77
This loss may have taken A&M off the short list for an NCAA bid and into bubble territory. While 20-6 overall, the Aggies are just 6-5 in the Big 12. An earlier win over Texas, plus non-conference victories over LSU, Alabama, Washington and Ohio St. will help, but the schedule is a testy one, especially the regular season finale against Kansas.

D.J. Augustin scored 27 points and dished 9 assists for the Longhorns, who tied Kansas at 9-2 in the conference.

(23) St. Mary's 100 Pepperdine 64
The Gaels put six players into double figures and notched 100 for the first time this season. Their previous high score was all the way back on November 20, when they beat Oregon, 99-87. St. Mary's hit 17-of-29 three-pointers.

Oh! The Horror! Blue Devils Torched by Freshmen Deacons

Wake Forest 86, (2) Duke 73
Freshmen James Johnson and Jeff Teague scored 50 points between themselves and Wake Forest did what no other ACC team has done this season: they beat Duke.

Johnson, a 6-8 forward, scored 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting and snagged a career-best 16 rebounds. The Blue Devils had no answer for the big man, and when he wasn't dancing inside, Teague was blazing from the perimeter, scoring a game-high 26 points, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range.

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Duke simply could not guard every on the floor efficiently, as all five of their starters fouled out of the game. Kyle Singler, who was coming off his best performance of the season against Maryland, was 6-of-10 and scored 17 points, but the shooting was off for Duke. Greg Paulus was only 1-6 on three-pointers, and Duke shot just 41% for the game, much of that attributable to the Deacons pressure defense.

Other alarming stats for Duke showed up at the free throw line. Wake Forest went to the charity stripe 38 times - unusual against a Duke team which almost always gets to the line more than their opponent - and the Blue Devils were also shabby at the line, making only 13-of-25. Wake Forest hit 27 of their freebies - 71%.

While the loss was not critical for Duke, the win was important for Wake Forest, a team squarely on the bubble at 16-8 and now 6-5 in the conference. The win over the #2 team in the country certainly improves their chances for an at-large bid, though they still have to travel to #5 North Carolina next Sunday before filling out the regular season schedule with winnable games against Maryland, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and NC State. 19-10 or 20-9 overall should be good enough, considering only five teams in the ACC have winning conference records right now.

Notre Dame 71 Rutgers 68
The Fighting Irish aren't very good on the road and it showed as they struggled past Rutgers. The Irish managed only 41% shooting from the field, though they did manage to hit 8-of-17 3-pointers (47%). Rutgers was simply worse, hitting only 38% including 9-of-25 beyond the arc.

UCLA 56 USC 46
In the West Coast version of Last Man Standing the Bruins, who used only 8 players, outlasted the Trojans, who used just six. USC turned the ball over 22 times against the Bruins trapping defense and were outrebounded, 38-31. Freshman standout O. J. Mayo was held t a season-low 4 points.

Top 25 Results and Notes from Saturday, Feb. 16

(1) Memphis 79 UAB 78
Closest game so far this season for the unbeaten Tigers, who needed a three-point play from Chris Douglas-Roberts and a made shot by the Blazers ruled too late. Memphis was only 12-22 (.545) from the foul line, which won't help their cause in March. Here's a #1 with targets on their chests. 25-0 ain't bad, though.

Colorado 45 (3) Kansas 69
Bill Self emptied the bench as this one was done early. KU remains in commanding position in Big 12.

(4) Tennessee 74 Georgia 71
This one figured to be close and it was. Chris Lofton had 18 of his 22 in the second half, and the Vols roll ever closer to clinching the SEC East. Tennessee visits Memphis on the 23rd (Saturday) in a major out-of-conference showdown.

VA Tech 53 (5) UNC 92
Nobody's paying much attention to the Heels, but Tyler Hansbrough (23 points and 9 boards in 29 minutes) is making a bid for player of the year.

(7) Stanford 67 Arizona 66
Stanford got out of Arizona with a loss and a narrow win. As the competition heats up their close-out games with Washington St., then At UCLA and USC should prove how good the Cardinals really are.

(8) Georgetown 70 Syracuse 77
Paul Harris, 22 points and 8 boards; Jonny Flynn, 17 points. The main strength and vulnerability for the Hoyas is center Roy Hibbert (11 points, 3 rebs.) and 'Cuse coach Boeheim knew that. Georgetown's center saw plenty of bench time with foul trouble. Syracuse still on the bubble, but this was huge for them.

Cleveland St. 46 (9) Butler 51
Butler has a date with Missouri Valley top dog, Drake, on Feb. 23 and only 3 conference games left. Wright State on the 28th should be the clincher for the Horizon league. Mike Green and A. J. Graves make these Bulldogs tough to beat (23-2)

(10) Michigan St. 61 (13) Indiana 80
Down 18-8 early, the Hoosiers went on a 33-15 run to the half and never looked back. Despite the distractions involving coach Sampson, the team is solid and Eric Gordon (game-high 28 points) is ridiculous. Look for him to enter the draft shortly after the Hoosiers are knocked out of the tourney. Spartans have lost 3 of their last 4. In March, 2 dance limit for them.

(11) Texas 82 Baylor 77
Damion James had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Longhorns' 5th straight win and 22nd straight over Baylor. The fact that it was close gives the Bears some cred, but they have to start winning a few here and there.

(14) Drake 65 N Iowa 55
The Missouri Valley title clincher for Drake wasn't all fun and games, as the Bulldogs shot just 39% from the floor, but hit 18 of 19 freebies to the Panthers' 3 of 5.

Minnesota 56 (15) Wisconsin 65
Balanced scoring and tenacious defense make the Badgers one of the real sleepers in the nation. Just one game behind Purdue (11-1) in the Big 10 standings at 10-1, they could run the table (only Michigan State left as ranked opponents) and the conference tourney and end up a #2 or #3 seed.

Oklahoma St. 59 (16) Texas A&M 54
No real knocks on the Aggies, but 18 second half points at home isn't going to cut it in this or any other conference. The loss snapped a five-game win streak, but the schedule suggests that A&M still has work to do.

(17) Connecticut 74 S Florida 73, OT
A tough road win for the Huskies, puts them in great position for the post-season. Their ninth straight win and no ranked teams in their final six Big East games means they're a lock for an at-large bid.

Missouri 63 (18) Kansas St. 100
Michael Beasley tied his season high with 40 points (and 17 rebounds) and this one turned into a rout early on as the Wildcats opened up a 21-point lead at the half. Beasley makes K-State one of the more dangerous teams in the nation. Nobody's been able to slow him down yet and it's doubtful anybody will as he's averaging 25.7 and 12.6. #1 draft pick? Count on it.

(19) Purdue 71 Northwestern 56
Make it 11 straight for the Boilermakers, who might be a little under-appreciated by the pollsters. Tuesday's visit to Bloomington ought to be killer.

(21) Wash St. 62 Oregon 53
The Ducks hung in until the final three minutes, and both teams may be just good enough to get tourney bids, but how far they'll go is an open question. Lots to still be sorted out in the PAC-10.

(23) Louisville 80 Providence 72
Cardinals now tied with Georgetown at 10-3 in the Big East standings, but have a tough schedule remaining: Syracuse, at Pitt, Notre Dame, Villanova, at Georgetown. Louisville sure to move up in the polls while the Hoyas fall.

Florida 58 (24) Vanderbilt 61
Commodores seem to have their groove on once more, with their 5th straight win. The Gators are still fighting for an at-large bid, but have to contend with with three solids in the SEC West: Arkansas, Mississippi and Mississippi State. All four teams have 7 losses and winning conference records.

(25) St. Mary's 80 Loyola-Marymount 49
If you can hold a team to 26% shooting, your chances for a win improve dramatically. That's what the Gaels did on Saturday, and that tough defense will work in March as well. Big games with San Diego and Gonzaga, Feb. 25 and March 1, respectively, should tell us more.

Note: Home teams listed 2nd in line scores, rankings in parentheses.

Bubble Puzzle: Marquette Pounds Pitt

Marquette 72 Pittsburgh 54
There's a swinging door at the entrance to the NCAA field of 65, and it swung wide open for the Marquette Golden Eagles last night. For the Panthers, though, that door is closing fast, and they may just have to climb in through an open window in the Big east tournament.

Marquette outplayed the Panthers in every aspect of the game: the Golden Eagles shot 49%, grabbed 36 rebounds, dished 20 assists, turned the ball over 10 times, made 6 steals and blocked 4 shots. The numbers for Pitt were 37%, 33, 12, 15, 3 and 1. The Panthers were also a dreadful 1-11 from 3-point range.

Marquette stepped past Pitt in the Big East standings, improving to 8-5 in conference and 18-6 overall. Pitt is 7-5 and 19-6. Both teams are on the bubble, but Marquette served notice that they are worthy of reaching the next level.

Pittsburgh is an enigma wrapped in a sweat sock. Here's a team that's beaten both Duke and Georgetown, but has lost to the likes of Dayton, Rutgers, Cincinnati, UConn and Villanova. They're a horrible 2-4 on the road against Big East opponents and their next game is at Notre Dame, where the Irish have won 34 straight. Pitt will have to raise the ghost of Andrew Carnegie to win that one.

Next Sunday, the Panthers host Louisville, one of the hottest teams in the country, then play Cincy, a team that already beat them. Two road games, against contentious Syracuse and West Virginia precede the season finale against DePaul.

If the Panthers finish up 4-3 or 5-2 in those final seven games, they'll need a bit of a run in the Big East tourney to impress the NCAA selection committee. Winning less than four of their remaining games probably wipes them off the bracket board even before the conference tourney.

Marquette has similar bubble problems, but the win over Pitt really aids their cause. A pair of losses to Louisville, a split with Notre Dame and road losses at UConn and West Virginia are among the negatives. An out-of-conference win over Wisconsin helps, though a March 1 showdown with Georgetown, at Marquette, and the Big East tourney, will be keys to their success.

The Big East is likely to send seven teams to the national tournament. Georgetown, UConn, Louisville and Notre Dame look like locks already. With Syracuse, Cincinnati and West Virginia knocking on the door, Pitt may be the odd team out.