NCAA tourney tremors from Wednesday
Posted: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 8:36 PM
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Links roundups, March Madness
Wednesday didn’t have any matchups featuring ranked teams, but something a little bit better: Several games had NCAA tournament implications.
Is there anything better this time of year?
Start with the No. 3 Tar Heels, who won their 10th straight by holding off in-state rival N.C. State. Nothing special there – Tyler Hansbrough scored 27, UNC improved to 24-2 – except for the return of freshman center Tyler Zeller. Zeller broke his wrist during the Heels’ second game of the season.
It was seen as a redshirt season for the 7-footer, but without Marcus Ginyard (season-ending injury) and Will Graves (suspension), Zeller’s return gives the Heels some much-needed frontcourt depth. He only played eight minutes, but a month of games could get him up to speed by tourney time.
Or consider two of the best mid-majors, Butler and Davidson, both of which lost. Most bracket projections have BCS teams gobbling up the at-large berths. If these two can’t bolster their tourney résumés’, it doesn’t bode well for other mid-majors.
The Bulldogs lost consecutive games for the first time in 111 games and failed to clinch the Horizon League title. Without Stephen Curry, Davidson was whipped by the Citadel. Butler’s still in good shape for an at-large berth, but the Wildcats won’t be as lucky. The two play Saturday, but Davidson will probably have to win its conference tournament now.
The Big East – still aiming for nine or 10 NCAA berths – is brutal this season. (Check out Jack McCallum’s fabulous feature.) Wednesday was no different for Notre Dame (a 79-68 loser to West Virginia) and Providence (a 94-76 loser to Louisville). Both were counting on those wins, though the Friars are in better shape overall than the Irish. Georgetown took care of business against South Florida, but, like Notre Dame, the Hoyas still have work to do.
The Big Ten is right on the Big East’s heels when it comes to total bids. At least five teams (Michigan State, Purdue, Illinois, Ohio State and Minnesota) have strong bids thus far. Wisconsin and Michigan could sneak in, but Penn State’s even more likely. A 38-33 win over Illinois (yes, that’s the real score) only helped the Lions (19-8).
Newly ranked LSU (22-4) avoided a pitfall by rallying to beat Arkansas, 72-69. The Tigers were down by 18 before closing with an 11-1 run. Tennessee wasn’t as lucky.
The Vols (16-9) dropped to 7-4 in the SEC East race after an 81-65 loss to Ole Miss. South Carolina (18-6) also stumbled on Wednesday, which leaves the East in a four-way tie. Florida (20-6) and Kentucky (18-8) are also 7-4. It’ll be hard to place all four in the Big Dance, though. Four will be a push for the entire conference.
Other key wins for NCAA hopefuls? Florida State’s win vs. Miami, George Mason over Drexel and Utah beating Colorado State. The ‘Noles and Utes have No. 8 seeds in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, while the Patriots (18-8) needed this game and probably a win Saturday against Creighton to even think about an at-large berth.
