Winners -
Va Tech - Very impressive win over Miami, thoroughly dominating another bubble team and essentially eliminating a fellow bubble competitor. Not only did they help their cause tremendously, they did every other team on the bubble a huge favor.
Michigan – Looked very good in a must win game over Iowa. They are pretty much a lock at this point, but one more win certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Minnesota – Took care of another bubble team in Northwestern (eliminating them from contention) and further helped their cause. One more win would virtually assure them a spot in the big dance.
San Diego St. – The Aztecs took it to another good bubble squad in UNLV today, leading from start to finish and looking very impressive while doing it. If you ask me, they should be in now, but knocking off BYU in the semifinals would make it a certainty.
Davidson – How can Davidson be a winner today you ask? Because that WVU win is looking better and better the further WVU advances into the Big East tournament. WVU knocking off Pitt was huge today for Davidson, not just for the few extra RPI and SOS points, but because it puts WVU one game closer to the Championship. If WVU is able to win the Big East tourney, Davidson becomes a much better at-large candidate. If you are a Davidson fan, you better get your Mountaineer gear on.
Losers -
Arizona – When you are 19-12, the last thing you want to do is lose in the quarterfinals of your conference tournament. Not surprisingly, that is exactly what Arizona did, thus putting themselves on the outside of the bubble looking in. Arizona would need a minor miracle to get in at this point in the discussion.
Providence – Thoroughly dominated by a fantastic Louisville squad, but didn’t show nearly enough of an effort to garner some sympathy votes. A big disappointment with it all on the line and are definitely on the outside looking in.Miami – In a statement game against Va Tech today, they certainly did make a statement. That statement is, “we do not belong in the NCAA tourney”. Watch out for them in the NIT though.
UNLV – Honestly, I still feel the Rebs are a NCAA tourney team. This year, the MWC is a vastly superior conference in quality and depth to BCS leagues like the SEC and Big Ten. Whether they get that respect from the tourney selection committee remains to be seen, however, I feel that they would be a dangerous team in the tournament. However, by losing today (and you can throw New Mexico in this conversation with them), they did themselves no favors. Most will look at these losses as disappointing and proof that New Mexico and UNLV don’t deserve to get in. However, I look at it encouragingly, showing that the MWC has incredible depth and quite a few teams capable of winning in the tourney.
Come back tomorrow for analysis of when the big boys come out in the ACC, SEC, and Big 10, the A-10 and MWC tourneys heat up and the Big East tourney continues to be the best tournament in the country.
