Your Home For College Hoops
Sunday, December 22, 2024
In our latest podcast, we look at off-court matters like a new name, image and likeness law as well as the first school to be punished by the NCAA coming out of the FBI investigation. Also, we look at a big loss for the Gators and some questions about the future of mid-major conferences, especially if they have a big geographic footprint.
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.
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.
Three more automatic bids went out on Sunday, two of them to repeat champions, to set the stage for the week ahead. Plus lower seeds rule in the Colonial, three teams share the regular season title in two conferences, and a coaching change comes out west on a day off from tournament action.
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.
Wisconsin is playing well at a good time, and the Badgers kept that up by winning on the road against another team playing well of late. Plus a couple of regular season titles are still to be decided, while a first-year Division I team claims at least a share of a conference title and overtime is needed in a key Conference USA game.
There was no shortage of urgency heading into the home stretch for NC State, and they certainly showed it in taking advantage of a big quality win opportunity. Plus the Wildcats have a bigger lead, a dramatic home win on a night with road wins in the Big East, and two league leaders go on the road and win to stay tied at the top.
The Ivy League is looking a little different than expected, with only one of the top three preseason picks among the top three at the midway point. Plus the leaders win in a couple of other mid-major leagues, the MAAC continues to be a tight race, and one MAAC coach will be sticking around a little longer.
Iowa got a nice win over Illinois on Sunday to get within a game of first, which was far from a given after roster changes and in-season adversity since the end of last year. Plus the Red Storm just can’t pull out wins in conference, one mid-major league race gets a little more interesting, and some clarity comes on a bizarre incident from a night earlier.
Conference play is about to begin in earnest all around the country. How does every conference in Division I shape up after non-conference play has (mostly) completed? We take a look here.
