Tag: march madness

Buckeyes on the Bubble: What does Ohio State Women’s Basketball need to make the NCAA tournament?

Ohio State’s women’s basketball team is certainly on the bubble. What do the Buckeyes need to do to make the NCAA tournament?

I started this series this week with the Ohio State Men’s Basketball team’s bubble situation. And I kept that article very brief, mostly to avoid giving off the false impression that Ohio State was anywhere near the bubble. The Buckeyes aren’t. They have elite metrics like KenPom and BPI and a strong overall resume. The only minor downside is a poor conference record. Barring a collapse, Ohio State’s men’s team will go dancing.

The women’s team, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. These Buckeyes have a winning record in the Big Ten (7-5, with only two home losses) but have as bubble-y a resume as you can imagine.

Ohio State has been right on the bubble all year. The Buckeyes have a huge win over Louisville, but also have disappointing losses to Ohio and South Dakota.

As in nonconference play, the Buckeyes have also managed to mix good conference wins with bad losses. Wins over Michigan and Minnesota (in Minnesota) are great for the resume, but losses to Michigan State and Purdue keep the Buckeyes from getting off the bubble.

In ESPN’s current bracketology, the Buckeyes are a 10-seed. Before this update, they were one of the “last four in.”

Ohio State has six games left in the season. Five of those six games are against teams currently projected in the NCAA Tournament. The sixth, a February 19th home game against Nebraska, is against a team not far off the bubble.

So, what does Ohio State need to do to get in? With an overall record of 14-9 and three bad losses, it might not be so simple to just give a win target. Will 17-12 get the Buckeyes in the tournament by itself? Probably not. They would need at least one or two wins in the Big Ten Tournament to be in the conversation.

The Buckeyes are 0-3 against Maryland and Iowa on the season, but remaining games against Northwestern, Indiana, and Rutgers give ample opportunity to add another big win to the season. Lose all three of those, though, and things get rough–solely due to an ugly number of total losses. 13 isn’t too many by itself, but it’s a very uncomfortable number without top-end wins.

Speaking of top-end wins, the Buckeyes do currently have one–but it’s fading. That crown win over Louisville was amazing for Ohio State. The Cardinals had no lost any other game and were a potential one-seed for most of the season. Now, though, Louisville is in the midst of a two-game losing skid, including a bad one against Syracuse. It’s still a very quality win for Ohio State and will remain so regardless, but a few more losses would mean it’s no longer the elite win that separates the Buckeyes from the entire rest of the bubble.

Due to less parity in the women’s game than the men’s currently, bubble teams have little to worry about bid thieves. This year, however, has the potential to see one. Florida Gulf Coast is sitting at 24-2 and has a strong resume. Unless the Eagles lose two games down the stretch, they’re likely a tournament lock. Seeing another team win the Atlantic Sun would give that league two bids. That’s not good news for anyone on the bubble.

The Buckeyes can absolutely keep matters in their own hands. Finish the regular season by winning four of the next six–which would include a win over Northwestern, Indiana, or Rutgers–and Ohio State should feel pretty safe. Still, it would help a lot to see Louisville keep on winning. And if the Buckeyes only go 3-3 (especially if the three losses are to the Northwestern/Indiana/Rutgers trio), things will definitely be nervous in Columbus.

Buckeyes on the Bubble: What does Ohio State need to get into the NCAA tournament?

With about a month left in the NCAA basketball season, what does Ohio State need to do to earn a bid for March Madness?

With a little over a month left in the NCAA basketball season, it’s time to start really tracking how Ohio State is shaping up to make the tournament. I will also be doing this for the women’s basketball team, and possibly the hockey teams as well. (The women’s hockey bubble, in particular, can be an incredibly tight race, and the men’s hockey team currently holds down the very last spot in the field).

As for men’s basketball, though, are the Buckeyes really in any trouble at all?

The short answer is a very firm no.

Ohio State has a losing record in the Big Ten, which is never a good sign for at-large bids. However, this year’s Big Ten is likely the deepest league in men’s basketball history, and should put 11 or 12 teams in the tournament. The Buckeyes only have two conference home losses, and played a strong nonconference schedule that included good wins over Cincinnati, Villanova, Kentucky, and a still-healthy North Carolina team.

The selection committee always claims not to look at a team’s conference record. And while history belies that somewhat, it is still very true, especially in cases like Ohio State’s. The Buckeyes might be 5-7 in the Big Ten, but they currently sit at No. 13 in BPI and No. 11 in KenPom. Those are not numbers that put a team on the bubble. Heck, those are numbers that earn a very high seed.

Even with the rough conference record, everyone recognizes Ohio State’s quality of resume. USAToday’s own bracketology, for example, has the Buckeyes as a six seed. ESPN has them on the seven-line. Those aren’t spots that should worry any team. Still, it would behoove the Buckeyes not to make that conference record look too ugly when all is said and done.

More importantly, even with an ugly conference record, the fact is that none of the Big Ten losses are bad losses. 11 of the conference’s teams are in the Top 40 of the NET rankings, which is what the NCAA looks at when determining resume quality. Indiana is also a very respectable No. 61. The only two Big Ten teams with poor rankings are Northwestern and Nebraska. Any Big Ten team that avoids losses to those two will have a strong tournament resume.

For the Buckeyes, that means things are pretty simple.

Beat Nebraska on February 27th and win two more Big Ten games, and the Ohio State should be safe. Win any more than that and we’re looking at a lock.

USA Today Sports Bracketology: Where Is Texas Basketball Ranked?

A tough season for the Texas Longhorns basketball might get worse down the stretch but do they have a shot at the tournament?

USA Today Sports writers Shelby Mast and Scott Gleeson have come out with their latest bracketology as they predict just who will get invited to the dance. March Madness is one of the most hectic and enjoyable sports moments of the college season but just how realistic is it that Texas could get an invite?

The Big 12 Schools

  • The number one seeds: Kansas, Baylor
  • 3rd seed: West Virginia
  • 7th seed: Texas Tech
  • 9th seed: Oklahoma
  • Considered for at-large bid: Texas Christian, Texas

The Big 12 Conference is predicted to have five slots for at large bids. For the Texas Longhorns to find a way into the tournament they would need to get ahead of both TCU and Oklahoma or win the Big 12 Tournament. According to the NET rankings which is a team-ranking metric used by the selection committee has Texas at 66. TCU comes in at 80 and Oklahoma is 49th. This ranking metric replaced the rating percentage index or RPI (Texas at 50) for criteria used by the selection committee.

The Longhorns aren’t necessarily eliminated from a potential spot in the dance but their chances to get in are very minor. A strong showing against Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma and Texas Tech in the coming weeks will be huge for the program and the future of head coach Shaka Smart.

Texas Basketball: 2021 Three-star point guard takes unofficial visit

2021 three-star point guard Jalen Smith had an unofficial visit with the Texas Longhorns on Saturday.

The Texas Longhorns hosted an unofficial visit with Jalen Smith. Smith is a three-star guard out of Oak Ridge (Orlando, FL). His ranking is courtesy of Rivals. So far the 2021 point guard has received eight offers and none of which are from a Big 12 school.

Smith does have two offers within the state (Southern Methodist, Texas State). For the 2021 class, the Longhorns only have one offer made to a point guard with Isael Silva of Jesuit (Carmichael, CA), who is a four-star prospect and the number four point guard in the country.

The Longhorns will be needing to retool by the time 2021 rolls around as Kerwin Roach, Andrew Jones and Matt Coleman III will all be gone following the 2021 season.

Texas Basketball Recruiting: Is Greg Brown III Staying In Austin?

The Texas Longhorns need a big time recruit to help their basketball program so will that be local product Greg Brown III?

The Texas Longhorns basketball team needs that one player who can step on the court and dominate the way former McDonalds’ All-American Kevin Durant once did way back in 2006-2007. Durant was poised for stardom and after one year he made the jump to the NBA. It was no different for Mohamed Bamba who was also highly touted.

Could Greg Brown III be on that same trajectory? Should Brown sign with Texas he would be their fifth highest recruit in school history according to 247. He is their lone top target of the 2020 recruiting class that doesn’t have single signee to this point.

According to Kirk Bohls of HookEm.com, the five-star power forward has bigger plans than playing college basketball. He is eyeing a one and one year. much like the previous top two recruits in program history. So the question remains will that be in Austin?

Many felt that Kentucky would be an option as the best bet to possibly play for a National Championship on his way out the door. However, the Wildcats have two of the top five power forwards in the nation who have already signed their letters of intent for UK.

The 247 website has Greg Brown III at 83 percent to sign with Texas. If he is looking for a one and done season where he can put his game on display, the Longhorns might be the best option. He would immediately come in and likely start for coach Smart.

The only question remains is if he will stay in Texas or choose another school for his one season. With every major program in the country gunning for him, the opportunities are endless.

Can Texas Make A Run At The NCAA Tournament?

What would it take for the Texas Longhorns to make a run at the NCAA Tournament? Is there hope or is this wishful thinking?

It has been yet another disappointing season for the Texas Longhorns basketball team under fifth-year head coach Shake Smart. Smart joined the Longhorns after taking the Virginia-Commonwealth to team to the brink of a National Championship game appearance in the 2010-2011 season. After five-straight NCAA tourney appearances, he left the Rams for Austin.

The first year in Austin saw promise as the Longhorns finished 20-13 and fourth in the Big 12. That team was selected to play in the March Madness tournament but saw a quick exit. In the three plus seasons since, Texas hasn’t finished higher than sixth in the Big 12. During the second year of his Texas tenure the Longhorns failed to win more than four Big 12 games and just 11 overall.

The last two seasons have ended with identical 8-10 conference records, in 2018 they were once again booted from the tournament in the opening round. Last year they were invited to the NIT tournament which they won. Now as Texas sits at 14-7 overall with a Big 12 record of 4-4. Could they possibly make a run to get into the tournament ?

Well odds aren’t in their favor, Texas is tied with Oklahoma, Texas Christian and Texas Tech in the middle of the standings behind Baylor, Kansas and West Virginia. The Longhorns are winless against the top three with an average margin of loss at 20.7 points. Numbers slightly inflated due to the 38-point drubbing at the hands of West Virginia.

The Longhorns are currently 1-1 agains the teams in the middle of the pack as they are yet to play Texas Tech for the first time this year. As they were swept by the Red Raiders in 2018. For Texas the next three games will be a telling sign if they can compete for get an opportunity to reach the NCAA Tournament after missing out last year.

With Kansas, Texas Tech and Baylor on the schedule over their next three games, it doesn’t appear as though the Longhorns can do enough in season to earn a spot. ESPN’s Bracketology doesn’t have the Longhorns in the tourney at this point, it might mean that the Longhorns will have to do the impossible and win the Big 12 Tournament to earn an automatic bid to go dancing in March.

Notre Dame Beats Georgia Tech, Ends ACC Slump

What were you doing at the end of February 2018?

Think back to the end of February 2018 real quick.  What were you doing?

Personally I was only a couple months into being a first-time home owner and adjusting to life as that and (finally) having a dog to call my own for the first time in my life (shoutout to Ned).

The end of February 2018 was the last time Notre Dame won two straight ACC contests, by beating Wake Forest and Pittsburgh.  At last we can now say that unfortunate streak is done.

Notre Dame’s offense was again lights out Saturday, being key in an 80-72 win over Georgia Tech.  Graduate senior Rex Pfluger tied his season-high 13 points with a couple of those field goals being huge down the stretch.

John Mooney did what John Mooney tends to do, putting up a double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds while Temple Gibbs had a huge offensive showing, putting up 19 points himself.

Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner left impressed with the Fighting Irish offense after seeing it up-close for a second time this season:

“A really, really good offense” Pastner said after the game, “maybe the best offensive team in this league”.

If I only saw this team play twice and they scored 158 in those two games I would probably think similarly.

Dane Goodwin added 14 points for that Notre Dame offense while also being lock-down defensively.

Notre Dame improved to 13-8 overall and 4-6 in ACC with the victory.  The Irish return to the court Wednesday to host Pitt who a win over would mean Notre Dame’s first three game ACC winning streak since the first week of 2018.  Pitt will bring an identical 4-6 conference mark to Purcell Pavilion on Wednesday.

Georgia basketball loses 4th straight SEC matchup at Missouri

Georgia men’s basketball team loses their 4th straight SEC matchup in Columbia, MO to Missouri. The Dawgs are now 11-9, 1-6 in SEC play.

The Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball team dropped a close one Tuesday night in Columbia to the Missouri Tigers by a score of 72-69.

The Dawgs have now lost four straight games, all of them being to SEC opponents.

Georgia led by as many as 20 points in the second half, thanks to freshman guard Anthony Edwards scoring 23 points, leading all players on the night.  Senior guard Tyree Crump put up 13 for the Dawgs as well as freshman forward Toumani Camara tacking on another 12.

The Bulldogs came out hot offensively but skidded to a halt later in the second half, sparking an offensive run from the Tigers.  Missouri’s senior forward Reed Nikko capitalized on the Dawgs cold second half shooting, finishing with a career 13 points, 11 of them coming in the second half surge.

“Momentum is always up for grabs,” Tom Crean said in a postgame interview. “And in the second half, Reed Nikko took momentum from us. Reed Nikko changed the energy of the game for them.”

Nikko also had a game saving play, blocking Edwards while up two with only nine seconds left in regulation.

Three Missouri players scored in double digits with junior guard Dru Smith leading the Tigers with 16.

Missouri freshman forward Kobe Brown was emotional for this game.  Brown was named by his father after the late Kobe Bryant and wears number 24 after Bryant.  Following the tragic news of the NBA legend and his daughters passing, Brown talked about Kobe Bryant postgame.

“I was bummed,” said Brown. “It took a toll. I send my regards to all the families that were involved in the crash.”

What looked like a promising, potential NCAA Tournament season is now on the line with very slim chances of the Dawgs being alive in March.  According to TR Brackets, Georgia now has a 2.2% chance of making the tournament.  Losing the past 4 SEC games moves the Bulldogs to 11-9 on the season with a 1-6 record in conference play.

With a 2.2% chance being very unlikely, things aren’t looking good for the Dawg faithful … but you’re saying there’s a chance.

Georgia continues their late season SEC play this Saturday vs Texas A&M at home.  Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. EST on SEC Network.

Not a question of if, but when Las Vegas hosts College Football Playoff or Final Four

College football is bringing its national championship game to New Orleans on Monday for the fifth time, cementing its status as America’s preeminent venue for big sporting events. In the modern era, no city has hosted more Super Bowls, more …

College football is bringing its national championship game to New Orleans on Monday for the fifth time, cementing its status as America’s preeminent venue for big sporting events. In the modern era, no city has hosted more Super Bowls, more BCS/College Football Playoff title games or more Final Fours.

But as we enter the 2020s, America’s sports host of the future could be up for grabs because of Las Vegas, which suddenly has two major professional teams, more than $2 billion worth of new facilities and a strong desire to attract the same events that regularly come through New Orleans. The only question is, will the Final Four or the CFP championship game get there first?

“I’ll be in shock if they don’t come to Las Vegas,” said Jim Livengood, the longtime former athletics director at Arizona and UNLV, who has spent significant time in his retirement lobbying for big college sports events to come to Las Vegas. “It has to be the right event for the right site for the right time of year, and it doesn’t fit for every sport. But for five or six it works really well.”

Last May, the NCAA finally rescinded its policy that banned championship events from being played in states that offered sports gambling, which previously only applied to Nevada but was suddenly going to eliminate more than 10 states that immediately legalized it in the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark 2018 decision.

Of course, the NCAA rule never made sense in the first place. Beyond college programs coming to play at UNLV and Nevada for decades, Las Vegas has hosted a bowl game since 1992, the Mountain West basketball tournament since 2000 and the Pac-12 tournament since 2013. Moreover, with online and offshore sports gambling becoming prevalent over the last decade, the stigma of college games being played in close proximity to casinos and sports books is no longer tethered to reality.

Still, it’ll be a big moment for college sports when the NCAA or the CFP eventually bring their championship events to Las Vegas. But when’s it going to happen, and once it does, will Sin City become as much a part of the regular rotation that hosts these things as New Orleans, Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas and Indianapolis?

“We know that Las Vegas is an attractive destination for championships and we fully believe we are becoming the epicenter of sports,” UNLV athletics director Desiree Reed-Francois said. “In conjunction with our community partners, we’re being aggressive in trying to host championship events.”

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The biggest issue, at least in the near-term, is availability. Though the NCAA men’s basketball committee met and toured venues in Las Vegas last summer and has a delegation visiting again in the coming weeks, Final Four sites are booked through 2026, though Las Vegas could bid on NCAA tournament regional sites as early as 2023.

As an independent organization, the CFP is not bound by whatever decision the NCAA makes with respect to Las Vegas and the basketball tournament but only has two unawarded championship games in 2025 and 2026, which marks the end of the Playoff’s current 12-year contract with ESPN. The bidding process for those games is yet to begin, but Las Vegas has already indicated it will make a strong run at holding one of them in the new $1.8 billion Allegiant Stadium, which sits just across Interstate 15 from the South end of the Strip.

Bill Hancock, the CFP’s executive director, wrote in an email that he expects a number of cities to be interested hosting for 2026 and 2026 and noted that “it has been good for college football” that they’ve awarded the game around to 10 different places for the first 10 years of the event.

“It wouldn’t be right for me to speculate about any potential host,” Hancock said. “I don’t want to handicap the field, except to say it will be a fascinating race.”

Las Vegas should be a no-brainer for one of those two slots, though, and the CFP should be positioning itself to get there before the Super Bowl (2025 is the NFL’s next open slot) and the Final Four, as there could be significant cachet that comes along with being first.

But there are a couple potential complications.

Also see:

– When and where to watch LSU vs. Clemson National Championship game

The CFP is going to Miami in 2021, Indianapolis in 2022, the new Los Angeles stadium in 2023 and Houston in 2024. Would going back out to the Pacific time zone in 2025 be too soon after L.A.? Also, the Consumer Electronics Show, which brings 170,000 people to Vegas annually, often takes place in a similar window to the CFP championship game around that weekend after New Year’s. The CES has not posted dates for 2025 and 2026 yet, but that could be a potential complication to keep in mind.

If that hurdle could be worked out, though, Vegas could very well establish itself as the absolute best venue for the game period. As fans have discovered over the first six years of the CFP, it is not a bowl week type of event. Fans typically come in at some point the weekend before the Monday night game and leave the next day. Also, because the travel plans for the winning semifinal teams are made on somewhat short notice, availability of affordable flights and hotel rooms is paramount.

From that standpoint, places like Dallas and Atlanta work exceedingly well. For entertainment options and good weather, cities like New Orleans and Miami come to the front of the pack. But it’s hard to imagine anywhere combining ease of travel with logistics like Las Vegas.

“There’s so many similarities to New Orleans,” Livengood said. “Everything is so darn close. The stadium, there isn’t anything you can’t do just by walking to it. It checks every single box. And the big thing is Vegas wants it. Vegas has really stepped up in terms of realizing this can be a market for athletics.”

This weekend in New Orleans, tens of thousands of LSU and Clemson fans will be taking over the French Quarter prior to the national championship on Monday night, a tradition that dates back decades for college sports fans. Hopefully, it will continue for decades more.

But the momentum is there now for Vegas to provide the same kind of platform for the biggest events in the coming years. Hopefully it won’t take college athletics much longer to embrace it.

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