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Monday, December 23, 2024
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.
Part 3 of our reflection, research and review of Selection Sundays and the NCAA Tournament bubble over the last 35 years looks year-by-year at 1995-99. The stretch saw conference champions like Manhattan and Miami (Ohio) rewarded in 1995, a shift towards mid-pack majors as the 90s drew to a close but also surges by a trio of Midwestern leagues.
For one night at least, it felt like the 1990s or even the early 2000s in Winston-Salem. Plus the Spartans rally to take over second, the Aztecs and Sooners bounce back, and the Titans won’t be in any postseason play this year despite their best efforts.
A Big Ten program that hasn’t been relevant in some time just might be moving back in that direction after all, despite a few earlier misses. Plus the two undefeated teams were both in action, a Big East team gets back on track, and one coach will get to stay in his current job a little longer.
A big win for a program that has been quietly solid for a while is the latest sign that this could be a year where they break through for the postseason. Plus a comeback win down south, the Irish take a personnel hit, and there is at least some good news with a future three-game series.
Tournaments may be the talk of the town, but Stephen F. Austin took that over for one night at least. Plus a big tournament delivers, one tournament is getting smaller, and a new assistant is coming to Omaha.
For the second week in a row, Kentucky didn’t look quite like the team they did on opening night, but this time didn’t pay the same price for it. Plus the Aggies keep winning without a key player, a Blazer is gone, and a few other games had noteworthy results.
Just a week into the season, we’ve already had our first shocker and second top team in the polls to go down. Plus other close calls in the same conference, the Gavitt Games continue, and a conference’s attempt at a resurgence continues.
At long last, Texas gets the kind of win they had yet to pick up under Shaka Smart, and not a moment too soon. Plus a Pirate star is out for a bit, a bounceback attempt continues, and some extra sessions were needed on the day.
For the first time in 15 years, the Big 12 champion was not Kansas. The league was once again atop conference rankings, though, led by a program whose rise the past couple years very nearly resulted in a national title.
