Welcome to the latest edition of Talking Hoops With Ted Sarandis. We’re less than 48 hours from the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, and bubble teams still lead the discussion, especially in light of some recent results.
We start, though, with two games involving no bubble teams at all that Ted had a chance to cover. The first Big East semifinal was a big win for Providence, as they edged Xavier in overtime and didn’t let the Musketeers get off a possible game-tying shot. The Friars were probably a lock by virtue of being close, if not in, and then beating Creighton on Thursday, while Xavier should still be a No. 1 seed. The Friars have played two straight overtime games, and Villanova cruised past Butler in the second semifinal, so the Friars could be at a disadvantage there.
The second game on the night was across town in the ACC semifinals as arch rivals Duke and North Carolina battled. It was not the best-played game in the storied rivalry, and there was another controversial incident involving Duke’s Grayson Allen, but North Carolina got the win and will play Virginia for the ACC championship.
We then look at bubble teams, focusing mainly on the ACC foursome of Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame and Syracuse, as well as SEC bubble team Alabama and Big 12 teams Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The picture gets more interesting because Nevada, considered by most to be a lock, was convincingly knocked off by San Diego State in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament, meaning the winner of that conference is likely to be a bid thief.
Finally, we look ahead to Championship Saturday, with 14 conference championship games on tap. It’s a long but fun day of college basketball.
We hope you enjoy the podcast and share it with your fellow college basketball fans, and be sure to come back late Sunday night or Monday morning for College Basketball Tonight.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
