Blowing
or Bursting Bubbles
NC State: NC State
could really help their cause with a win
over Wake Forest this weekend. They could
also get an invite with a couple wins in
the ACC Tourney. Julius Hodge has seen the
end of the tunnel and he doesn't like the
view of the NIT. He's been doing his best
to sneak the Wolfpack in at the last second.
NC State has shown some power, sweeping
G-Tech and Maryland. They've also lost to
Florida State and West Virginian at home.
A win against Wake would get them back to
.500 in the ACC which could push them in.
Right now Hodge and crew has to play themselves
into the Tourney, they aren't gonna make
it with the status-quo.
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Texas:
Texas has all but eliminated themselves
from Tourney hopes. It's discouraging to
see a team lose a player like P.J. Tucker
and sink as they have. The Longhorns are
5-6 in their last 11 with nary a big win
to show for it. It's hardly seems right
to penalize the rest of the team and leave
them out because of how they've played after
P.J. Tucker. But, it's even less fair to
put them in the Big Dance when another team,
who has played well lately, would get left
home. A tough situation in Texas, might
leave the Longhorns out of the NCAA Tournament.
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St.
Mary's: They might get in without a
Conference Tournament Championship, but
why should they? They did beat Gonzaga once,
but after that there's nothing much to get
excited about, if anything at all. The Gaels
are number 2 in the WAC but what does that
show? Not much. Besides the Gaels and Zags,
there isn't another team with a winning
record in conference. The same reason the
Bulldogs get a 4 seed could be why St. Mary's
doesn't get a ticket at all.
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St.
Joseph's: St. Joe's is going to win
their conference regular season championship,
but could they still get left out of the
Tourney? Yes. Losses to Drexel, San Francisco,
Old Dominion, Bucknell, Ohio State, Dayton,
Pennsylvania, and the latest, Rhode Island
could leave the A-10 champs at home. Of
course a Conference Tourney victory gets
their ticket punched. George Washington,
with big wins out of conference might take
that crown from the Hawks. If that happens,
GW could be the lone representative from
the A-10.
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Georgetown:
There will not be 8 teams from the Big East,
at least I don't think so. So who will it
be? Georgetown, West Virginia, or Notre
Dame? With a big slump in the middle of
their season West Virginia looks to be back
on track winning 6 of 7, with two wins against
Pittsburgh, so they're most likely in. That
leaves G-Town and Notre Dame. They're both
on this list. This is hard; maybe 8 teams
will get in? The Hoyas have beaten Pitt,
'Nova, Notre Dame, and West Virginia, but
have been the losers of 4 straight. A loss
against Providence, or an early out in the
Big East Tourney could be the final straw
for the Hoyas.
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Miami
(FL): If NC State plays into the Big
Dance, they might very well eliminate Miami
from it. Miami has some big wins this year,
and might be the 6th team selected from
the ACC. If they beat Duke at Cameron Indoor
today, it could be an interesting selection
day for the ACC. If they end in a dead heat
with NC State, I have to believe NC State
would get the nod. It's a tough place to
be; nobody said the ACC would be a breeze.
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Indiana:
Indiana played themselves into a possible
Tourney situation with a win over Michigan
State, but promptly returned to a bubble
team with a close loss to Wisconsin. Looking
back on that game, I'm sure they're thinking
they should have just won, that would make
it a lot easier. If Indiana does nuzzle
between the cracks, watch out for Bracey
Wright, he's really, really good. A good
conference tourney could widen the cracks.
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Notre
Dame: You wretched Fighting Irish, here
we are again, on the bubble. The Irish always
seem to find a way through the cracks if
beyond the cracks is where they want to
be. The UCLA loss at home really hurts Chris
Thomas and company, but they are still in
a good situation. Win some games and get
in. Don't win any games and fall in through
the Notre Dame only holes. A loss against
Pitt and an early exit from the Big East
Tourney could eliminate the Irish from the
Tourney. They have big wins though, and
big losses, too.
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