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Monday, November 4, 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.
The Scarlet Knights get a big win at a time they really need it to secure their place in March. Plus the bank is open for the Longhorns, conference tournaments get going, and amidst some unfortunate news is a heartwarming story in Vermont.
We begin our review of the bubble over the years with the first five years of the 64-team NCAA Tournament era, 1985-89, including the first big snub (and blow-up) in the expanded tourney era, a 14 seed at-large team nearly making the Elite 8 and a conference going from a national champion one year to no team in the Big Dance at all the next.
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.
Another long losing streak has come to an end, and against an unlikely opponent as well. Plus a tale of two halves in the ACC, some big shooting in the Big East and one Big Ten game, and a Big 12 team is finally on the board as well.
In a short time, a lot changed at Clemson without even considering the football team’s tough night on Monday night. Plus a dramatic ending in the Big Ten seems par for the course, an injured star looks just fine in a big win, and the Buckeyes and Jayhawks win while short-handed.
In the early going, the standings in one conference look very little like the preseason poll, especially with the lone undefeated team having a nice lead. Plus the Mountaineers win a slugfest, a Blue Devil is out for a while and another ACC player succumbs to a constant source of pain for the season.
On a busy day full of conference games and a handful of non-conference ones, two undefeated teams went on the road and found a way to keep winning. Plus a couple of injury concerns in the Big Ten and a Big 12 coach was not happy with officials in a road loss.
West Virginia is having the kind of year many expect of Bob Huggins’ teams, and they got the kind of win most figured they would get at some point last year but never did. Plus the Flames go down for the first time, the Jayhawks get a win and then a scare, and a Spartan misses a game due to injury.
On a light night of action, none of the games were all that competitive, including a rivalry game that gave us a little to think about with both teams. That, and a scary development for a former NBA commissioner.
