Faculty basketball’s penultimate day of the common season was removed from a banner day for the bubble boys. Outfits like SMU, NC State, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech fell brief in opportunistic spots.
Angst definitely awaits as convention match week ramps into overdrive.
Oh, and the first tickets to the Huge Dance have been punched! Right here is the breakdown of the winners and losers from Saturday’s motion.
Winner: Florida overtakes UConn for No. 1 seed
Florida surpassed UConn for the fourth No. 1 seed in CBS Sports activities Bracketology on Saturday after the Gators gained 84-77 at Kentucky and the Huskies fell at Marquette. The groups are actually in a lifeless warmth for the fourth spot when it comes to results-based metrics utilized by the choice committee. The place Florida actually owns separation on UConn in a side-by-side comparability is with predictive metrics. The Gators are No. 4 in KenPom, rating solely behind well-established No. 1 seeds Duke, Michigan and Arizona. Within the trio of predictive metrics utilized by the committee, the Gators are resoundingly No. 4 whereas UConn lags a number of spots behind.
The Gators’ dominant gear was on show towards the Wildcats in a wire-to-wire victory. Kentucky roared again to make it fascinating late, however Florida used a 24-4 edge in fastbreak factors to win its eleventh straight sport. – David Cobb
Winner: Wisconsin places a damper on Purdue’s Senior Night time
Wisconsin‘s star-studded backcourt of John Blackwell and Nick Boyd mixed for 48 factors on 26 pictures to assist the Badgers knock off No. 15 Purdue, 97-93. The Badgers scored 1.48 factors per possession. It is the worst defensive exhibiting for Purdue within the KenPom period, which dates again to 1997. Wisconsin, taking part in with out injured huge man Nolan Winter, drained 18 3-pointers and has now notched street wins at Michigan, Illinois and Purdue. The mixture of elite guard play and a cavalry of 3-point snipers makes Wisconsin considered one of March’s scariest attracts. – Isaac Trotter
Winner: Idle St. John’s will get championship belt, makes historical past
St. John’s did not play on Saturday — the Johnnies beat Seton Corridor on Friday to shut their common season — however Rick Pitino’s bunch was nonetheless a significant winner. UConn’s 68-62 loss to Marquette handed the Johnnies the Huge East’s regular-season championship. It is the primary time in St. John’s historical past that it has gained the Huge East title outright in back-to-back seasons. – Trotter
Loser: NC State is formally in danger
Following an 85-84 residence loss to Stanford, NC State’s NCAA Match hopes are teetering on the brink in a means that may have been unthinkable a month in the past. The Wolfpack are actually simply 19-12 (10-8 ACC) and have dropped six of their previous seven. Whereas a poor run of play is the obvious wrongdoer within the Wolfpack’s slide, NC State’s finest three wins are additionally depreciating in worth. The Wolfpack gained at Clemson on Jan. 20 when Clemson nonetheless appeared good, however the Tigers have been dropping quickly ever since. NC State additionally gained at SMU on Feb. 3, however SMU has additionally gone on a horrendous late-season slide.
Whereas a Feb. 14 residence win over North Carolina seems to be good at first look, it got here when the Tar Heels have been lacking each Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar. So, as you peel again the layers — and take a look at the metrics — it turns into clear that NC State’s NCAA Match destiny will likely be hanging within the stability within the ACC Match. This crew will likely be within the mid-40s on Sunday in WAB, which is an important resume metric. That is squarely on the bubble. – Cobb
Loser: Pink-hot Cincinnati falls to TCU, loses steam
Cincinnati had surged again into the bubble combine with a 6-1 heater, however TCU poured chilly water on the Bearcats’ at-large push with a 73-63 victory in Fort Value. Cincinnati had 19 turnovers and TCU’s defensive whiz David Punch bottled up Cincy star Baba Miller. Wes Miller’s crew will now head to subsequent week’s Huge 12 Match needing to concoct some magic. – Trotter
Winner: Bruce Thornton turns into Ohio State’s all-time main scorer
Bruce Thornton surged previous Dennis Hopson to change into Ohio State‘s all-time main scorer in Saturday’s 91-78 win over Indiana. The senior guard totaled 25 factors and sits atop the Ohio State leaderboard with 2,110 profession factors. Whereas different bubble foes fell flat, Ohio State moved one step nearer to creating the NCAA Match for the primary time in Thornton’s magical profession. — Trotter
Winner: Coach Cal has his second with win No. 900
Arkansas closed out the common season in dramatic trend with an 88-84 additional time win on the street towards Missouri. The victory gave Arkansas coach John Calipari profession win No. 900. He’s the fifth Division I males’s basketball coach to attain that milestone. The Razorbacks did it with out star guard Darius Acuff Jr., who missed the ultimate sport resulting from an undisclosed harm. After the sport, Calipari’s gamers gave him a heat (or chilly) welcome again to the locker room. – Cameron Salerno
Winner: Vanderbilt will get revenge on Tennessee
No. 24 Vanderbilt picked up its finest street win of the season and evened the season sequence with No. 23 Tennessee by taking down the Volunteers 86-82. As per traditional, level guard Tyler Tanner was elite for the Commodores with a game-high 25 factors. He outplayed his counterpart, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who wanted 22 pictures from the ground to succeed in 17 factors.
With star freshman ahead Nate Ament out for a second straight sport resulting from harm, Tennessee by no means led. Vanderbilt is now knocking on the door of a No. 4 seed for the NCAA Match in CBS Sports activities Bracketology because it enters the SEC Match. – Cobb
Winner: Duke will get its revenge over North Carolina
Cameron Boozer delivered a 26-point, 15-rebound, five-assist gem to assist No. 1 Duke run away and conceal from No. 17 North Carolina, 76-61. It was the primary sport for the Tar Heels since Caleb Wilson was dominated out for the season, and Duke used a 24-2 run halfway by the second half to grab management and punctuate a glitzy 17-1 document towards ACC foes this yr. Dame Sarr (10 factors) and Maliq Brown (15 factors) have been excellent, however Duke did lose level guard Caleb Foster to a foot harm, which places a damper on the rivalry romp. – Trotter
Loser: Virginia Tech’s bubble deflated
Virginia Tech should still get up Sunday morning among the many “Subsequent 4 Out” in CBS Sports activities Bracketology or someplace near it. However make no mistake: the Hokies’ at-large hopes took successful with a 76-72 loss at No. 13 Virginia. Beating the Cavaliers on the street would have introduced a regular-season sweep within the rivalry and added some actual life to the Hokies’ at-large aspirations.
Virginia Tech stored it shut the entire second half, but it surely could not recover from the hump and can head into the ACC Match needing an enormous run within the mildew of this system’s journey to the 2022 league match title. – Cobb
Winner: Clemson avoids catastrophe
Clemson entered the day as a No. 8 seed in CBS Sports activities Bracketology, however the Tigers would have plummeted quickly towards bubble hassle with a Quad 4 residence loss to Georgia Tech. They averted that disaster with an entirely unconvincing however desperately wanted 79-76 residence win over the lowly Yellow Jackets. The Tigers (22-9, 12-6 ACC) ought to now really feel assured about listening to their title referred to as on Choice Sunday, no matter what occurs within the ACC Match. Will they really feel assured about really advancing within the Huge Dance? That is a unique story after a 2-5 season-ending stretch and Saturday’s tense win over a poor opponent. – Cobb
Loser: SMU’s slide continues
SMU is in a freefall. After coming into the day among the many “Final 4 In” within the CBS Sports activities Bracketology discipline, the Mustangs took a 91-78 loss at Florida State that additional imperiled their at-large hopes. It was the fourth straight loss for a Mustangs crew that can have work to do on the ACC Match if it desires to make the Huge Dance for the primary time since 2017. This crew was as soon as ranked within the AP ballot and appeared to be cruising towards a successful season in ACC play as lately as two weeks in the past. Now, the Mustangs are 19-12 (8-10 ACC) and combating for his or her lives. – Cobb
Loser: Mercyhurst reaches NEC title sport, misses out on potential bid
The primary automated bid to the 2026 NCAA Match was clinched sooner than anticipated on Saturday resulting from Mercyhurst‘s victory over Stonehill within the NEC Match. Mercyhurst is within the midst of its transition interval from Division II to Division I, which suggests it’s ineligible for the NCAA Match and/or the NIT, even when it wins the convention match. Lengthy Island College, the No. 1 seed within the bracket, defeated Wagner later within the day, which gave the Sharks the automated bid from the NEC. – Salerno
Winner: A wholesome Darryn Peterson is a scary Darryn Peterson
No. 14 Kansas was not threatened in Saturday’s 104-85 runaway win over rival Kansas State, however the story of the sport was … Darryn Peterson. The much-maligned five-star freshman scored 27 factors, ripped down 5 rebounds and dished 4 assists whereas wanting as spry as ever.
“I am feeling the most effective I’ve felt all yr,” Peterson mentioned afterward.
If Peterson’s episodes with cramps are within the rearview mirror, the calculus for Kansas adjustments considerably. And sure, Kansas is the most effective model of itself with Peterson within the combine, no matter what the loud minority might insinuate. – Trotter
Winner: Duquesne completes exceptional comeback
With 5:30 remaining within the first half, Duquesne trailed Richmond, 40-10. However for those who thought the sport was over, you’d be improper. Duquesne accomplished one of the crucial unlikely comebacks in faculty basketball historical past and escaped with a 79-77 win after ahead David Dixon tipped in a missed 3-pointer on the buzzer. Per NCAA PR, Duquesne turned the fourth Division I crew to rally from 30 or extra factors and win. – Salerno