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Sunday, December 22, 2024
Sometimes, our best-laid plans just flop. In March, this writer rolled out a historical series looking at NCAA Tournament at-large selection and the proverbial ‘bubble’, examining teams just above and below the cutline in the tourney every year from 1985 through 2019. The series ran in early March, five years […]
On a day where five automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament went out, there was bigger news that was not as positive. Plus, yes, five bids did go out, another championship matchup is all set, and a few more tournaments get underway.
As the regular season finishes for all teams and only conference tournament games remain before the postseason, we look at how a number of conferences finished and some coaching news.
A light night of action starts the week with a champion crowned despite a prior champion’s best efforts. Plus a rematch in the nation’s capital is ahead, an in-state matchup will come in another final, and a couple of close ones out west close the night.
The first two NCAA Tournament bids went out after dramatic finishes in championship games to set the stage. Plus a long day of tournaments ends with a thrilling back-and-forth between two star guards, a surprise champion in the ACC and a three-way tie atop the Big East.
In our latest podcast, we talk about a close call in the Mountain West Tournament and most of the power conferences being largely undecided heading into the final days before conference tournaments are the only game in town.
Part 5 of our series recalling, researching and reviewing NCAA Tournament Selection Sundays of the past looks at the years 2005-09. Included: Jim Nantz and Billy Packer tee off on the MVC and CAA in 2006, the same year the Valley got four bids but probably (our opinion) should’ve had six.
Notre Dame may have already lost any slim hope of an at-large bid, but a loss like Wednesday night’s is tough to stomach all the same. Plus the Flyers cruise on the road, the Wildcats can still win again, and some Tigers are going in the wrong direction as the regular season winds down.
If the Big Ten is to get 11 or even 12 teams into the NCAA Tournament, a couple of teams need to play their way in, including one who won on Sunday. Plus the Bearcats finally avoid overtime, two conferences get tighter, and a subpoena is served to rekindle the hard feelings between a school and its former coach.
The SEC may be led by the team most expected, but how they got there has certainly not been a linear journey. Plus a Big Ten star returns from injury with a big game, a new record in the Big 12, and the Northeast Conference gets tighter at the top.
