Tag: ncaa tournament

San Diego State Could Be An NCAA Betting Value?

Is San Diego State a betting value?

[jwplayer TtpJIvlc-sNi3MVSU]

San Diego State Could Be An NCAA Betting Value?

A two-seeded SDSU might be a bettors dream.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Time to buy SDSU stock

The Mountain West tournament had a result that was less than expected with Utah State upsetting No. 1 seed San Diego State, 59-56. That loss is not great for the Aztecs who were likely to clinch a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament had they topped the Aggies. 

Now, all the Aztecs can do is wait and see if teams like Dayton, Gonzaga or others who are projected to be a No. 1 seed falter. 

According to the NCAA Tournament odds here, the Aztecs were +1400 as of March 6 which is good for sixth overall. However, that is before the Mountain West title game they lost. It seems likely those odds will decrease so just wait a few days for new odds.

What the Aztecs do now is watch the rest of the conference tournament this week to see who will win or falter in the pressure cooker that can be one-and-done tournaments. That could be a very long and stressful week for San Diego State while they wait where they could be seeded.

[lawrence-related id=26942]

What could change the odds, either way, are if the Aztecs get a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Claiming a top seed will send them out East Coast with a potential Regional Final at Madison Square Garden with fewer fans and longer travel. However, if the Aztecs drop to a No. 2 seed would place them in Los Angeles at the Staples Center and give them a pretty sizable home court advantage if they matchup with with a No. 1 seed. 

All of these things are to consider if you want to wager now or later on the Aztecs. With the loss in the Mountain West finals, it seems more likely than not that San Diego State’s odds will be worse but that could be an amazing value if they are placed out West.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1360]

[protected-iframe id=”c0286d6e1aad69344270e42782a7311d-137729785-123448869″ info=”https://anchor.fm/mwwire/embed” width=”400px” height=”102px” frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]

NCAA Bracketology Update: San Diego State predicted as 2-seed.

NCAA Bracketology Update: San Diego State predicted as 2-seed. San Diego State Drops to a 2-seed in most brackets – Contact/Follow @ErwinSports and @MWCwire. Somehow, the Aztecs might get their March wish. After falling to UNLV at home in the …

NCAA Bracketology Update: San Diego State predicted as 2-seed.

San Diego State Drops to a 2-seed in most brackets

[jwplayer PKbloHfL-sNi3MVSU]

– Contact/Follow @ErwinSports and @MWCwire.

Somehow, the Aztecs might get their March wish.

After falling to UNLV at home in the regular season, the Utah State Aggies took advantage of that game plan and stunned San Diego State on Saturday

Utah State went from a bubble team to gifting the Mountain West 2-bids on Selection Sunday.

San Diego State has now been projected as a 2-seed in the West regional in most brackets, and especially in the eyes of Jerry Palm of CBS and Joe Lunardi of ESPN. Plus, the composite at BracketMatrix.

With San Diego State’s 2nd loss this season coupled with an unstoppable Dayton team in A10 play, it’s looking bleak the Aztecs rise to a 1-seed.

Unfortunate or fortunate?

Brian Dutcher has been on the record to covet playing as west as possible for his team.

“I want to stay West,” said Brian Dutcher to the San Diego Union-Tribune in early February “and play our way to Staples Center somehow and see if we can’t fill that building with Aztecs fans.”

With no chance of gaining a game on Gonzaga this coming week, the Zags look to lock up their path to L.A. via two games in Spokane, Washington.

The Aztecs were on track to play in Sacramento but instead of playing in Madison Square Garden, they get rerouted to the Staples Center. They would be closer to their fan base, their alumni base, and their recruiting hotbed.

With a week away from Selection Sunday, all the Aztecs can do is practice, go to class, and then show up on TV looking surprised when they receive a 2-seed in the West.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1374]

2020 NCAA Tournament sites, dates, storylines

All you need to know about 2020 NCAA Tournament sites.

The 2020 NCAA Tournament kicks off this month, with a host of great sports cities serving as regional sites for the madness that March always brings.

NCAA Tournament action kicks off with First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, on March 17 and 18, as it does every year. Two games each will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday before brackets are locked on Thursday morning.

If you’re traveling to the NCAA Tournament, it’s important to know how the sites work.

Six games are always played at each first- and second-round NCAA Tournament site. Two pods of four teams travel to that site and play on Thursday or Friday, then the winners of the two games within each pod play at the same site two days later, on Saturday or Sunday. Each pod winner will advance to one of four regionals.

The regional final will feature three games as well — two Sweet 16 contests, then the winners face off in the Elite 8.

So if the top of the bracket has No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Winthrop and No. 8 Marquette vs. No. 9 Arizona State in St. Louis on Thursday, the winners of those two games will play Saturday with a Sweet 16 spot on the line. The winners of the four pods then convene for the regional final at one site.

MORE: Looking for March Madness tickets?

March Madness Locations – First Four

  • Location: Dayton, Ohio
  • Host: University of Dayton
  • Dates: March 17-18

Two games will be played on both Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton before the true first round of the tournament — these are better known as play-in games.

Since the field expanded to 68 teams in 2011, two play-in games feature two No. 11 seeds facing off. These are usually reserved for the last teams that qualified with at-large bids. The other two games will feature No. 16 seeds, which are automatic qualifiers (won their conference tournament) from the weaker leagues.

First and Second Rounds

The first- and second-round sites are not locked into a preset region, neither geographically nor by any bracket prediction setup you may see online.

Therefore, the St. Louis site isn’t guaranteed to host early games in the Midwest Regional. We don’t know until the full bracket is released on Selection Sunday, March 15.

St. Louis, Mo.

  • Host: Missouri Valley Conference
  • Venue: Enterprise Center
  • Dates: March 19, 21

Omaha, Neb.

  • Venue: CenturyLink Center Omaha
  • Dates: March 20, 22
  • Host: Creighton University

Tampa, Fla.

  • Venue: Amalie Arena
  • Dates: March 19, 21
  • Host: University of South Florida

Greensboro, N.C.

  • Venue: Greensboro Coliseum
  • Dates: March 20, 22
  • Host: ACC

Spokane, Wash.

  • Venue: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
  • Dates: March 19, 21
  • Host: University of Idaho

Sacramento, Calif.

  • Venue: Golden 1 Center
  • Dates: March 20, 22
  • Host: Sacramento State University

Albany, N.Y.

  • Venue: Times Union Center
  • Dates: March 19, 21
  • Host: MAAC

Cleveland, Ohio

  • Venue: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
  • Dates: March 20, 22
  • Host: MAC/Cleveland State

Sweet 16 and Elite 8 Dates, Sites

Midwest Regional

  • Location: Indianapolis, Ind.
  • Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
  • Dates: March 26, 28
  • Host: Horizon League/IUPUI

Indy is a favorite spot for the NCAA Tournament committee. Lucas Oil Stadium has hosted regional finals in 2009, 2013 and 2014 and the Final Four in 2010 and 2015.

It’s scheduled to host the Final Four again in 2021 and 2026.

West Regional

  • Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
  • Venue: STAPLES Center
  • Dates: March 26, 28
  • Host: Pepperdine University

L.A. is also a frequent site for regional finals, hosting in 2013, 2015 and 2018. It has never hosted a Final Four, since those have mostly been played at larger venues like football stadiums.

Gonzaga has been a top 4 seed in the West Region in each of the last three years, and don’t expect that to change in 2020. The Bulldogs are 29-2, lead the country in offensive efficiency, are projected as No. 1 seed right now and will be favored in all their games in the West Coast Conference Tournament.

East Regional

  • Location: New York, N.Y.
  • Venue: Madison Square Garden
  • Dates: March 27, 29
  • Host: St. John’s/Big East

The Basketball Mecca will play host to the East Regional final this year. It’s hard to top that.

The Garden hosted 27 different NCAA Tournament weekends from 1943-1961 — sometimes it had a regional final and the Final Four in the same year.

But it took a long break, returning to the NCAA Tournament fold in 2014 for the East Regional finals. It also hosted in 2017, when a chaotic bracket ended with South Carolina beating Florida in the Elite Eight.

South Regional

  • Location: Houston, Texas
  • Venue: Toyota Center
  • Dates: March 27, 29
  • Host: University of Houston

This is the first time the Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets, will host a regional final.

Houston has held plenty of NCAA Tournament games, though, with the Texans’ NRG Stadium hosting the Final Four in 2011 and 2016, when Villanova captured a national title over North Carolina on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Final Four Date, Site

  • Location: Atlanta, Ga.
  • Host: Georgia Tech
  • Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
  • Dates: April 4, 6

The state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host the Final Four for the first time, adding to a flood of marquee events Atlanta has gotten in the last few years. Those include the 2019 Super Bowl and 2018 College Football Playoff national title game.

The Georgia Dome last hosted the Final Four in 2013, when Louisville topped Michigan. Florida captured its second straight national title there in 2007, and Maryland won it all in Atlanta in 2002.

We recommend interesting sports viewing and ticket opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.

Oklahoma basketball locked into NCAA Tournament in latest bracketology

It wasn’t smooth, but Oklahoma will surely take it. As of Sunday, the Sooners are a lock to be in the NCAA Tournament in latest bracketology.

It wasn’t smooth, but Oklahoma will surely take it.

The Sooners needed a win against TCU on Saturday to maintain their position in the NCAA Tournament race. Lon Kruger and Oklahoma got behind by 20 in the first half, 17 with 10:22 left in the game and then 13 with just over four minutes left to play.

By game’s end, Austin Reaves had scored a career-high 41 points and etched his name into Oklahoma basketball lore by willing his team to victory. Reaves made a game-winning shot with half a second left to give the Sooners their first and only lead of the game at 78-76.

The question many wondered was if Oklahoma could somehow sneak in with a loss and a good enough resume. The question now is whether the Sooners will be a 10 or 9-seed come selection Sunday a week from now.

In the latest Bracket Matrix, which includes the likes of ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, CBS’ Sports Jerry Palm and YAHOO, Oklahoma is in 99 of the 99 submitted brackets for bracketology. The Sooners have an average seed of 9.61 and are in a tight, five-team group that consists of USC, Rutgers, Indiana, Texas Tech  and Arizona State. Oklahoma has been seeded by bracketologists as high as eighth.

Kruger and the Sooners will start the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday night as the 3-seed and will take on 6-seed West Virginia in Kansas City at 8 p.m. CT.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Updated NCAA Men’s Bracketology: Where does Texas fall?

A blowout loss at home against a team not expected to be in the March Madness festivities has really hurt Texas’ chances of a bid.

The Texas Longhorns were one of the hottest teams in the Big 12 over a five-game stretch where they defeated two top 25 teams. The streak also included three-straight victories by 10+ points over opponents who have been projected to make the NCAA Tournament. The NET ratings of the those three were West Virginia (17), Texas Tech (22) and Oklahoma (44).

The NET ranking explained: The NCAA Evaluation Tool, which will be known as the NET, relies on game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses.

This tool replaced the RPI in the NCAA Tournament selection process.

The Longhorns current ranking is 68, after dropping from 57 on the heels of a 81-59 loss to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys jumped from 71 to 61 following the game. Prior to this loss, Texas was listed as the last four in on most Bracketology projections. However now the Longhorns find themselves between a rock and a hard place.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi updated his Bracketology with the loss to the Cowboys, putting Texas on the bubble as one of the last four in. In terms of the bubble watch, the Longhorns are listed under the work to do category.

Shaka Smart’s team rose to a No. 11 seed in the mock brackets on the strength of five straight wins. What happens now that Texas has lost by 22 at home to Oklahoma State? What happens is that the Longhorns are going to be very nervous. A NET ranking that was in the high 50s could dip into the perilous 60s in the wake of a Quad 2 loss, and UT will start preparing its talking points accordingly. They’re good talking points — the road wins at Purdue, Texas Tech and Oklahoma — and they would be strengthened with a good performance at the Big 12 tournament.

The game against Texas Tech is now a must-win for Shaka Smart and company. A one and done performance in the conference tournament could very well be the nail in the coffin for both a tournament berth and the future of Smart in Texas.

Texas Basketball: The Longhorns will meet Texas Tech on Thursday

The brackets are set for the Big 12 Tournament that begins on Wednesday. Texas Tech and Texas will meet on Thursday.

With the college basketball regular season officially in the rearview mirror, the Big 12 conference turns its attention to the tournament. In the first round of the tournament, Oklahoma State will meet Iowa State. The winner of the that matchup will face Kansas. Texas Christian will face Kansas State, the winner will take on Baylor in the quarterfinals.

Following the loss to Oklahoma State, Texas fell from third to the fourth seed in the standings. In the matchup of the four-five seeds in the quarterfinals, the Longhorns drew the assignment of Texas Tech. The two teams split their season series with each team winning on the road.

With the Texas Longhorns losing to the OSU Cowboys, the Longhorns need a strong showing in the conference tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament. They currently sit with a 53 percent chance to get in according to ESPN Bracketology. Shaka Smart will need at least one victory over Chris Beard and the Red Raiders to help his case. Not just to get into the tourney but also for the sake of his job.

 

Austin Reaves’ career night, game-winner at TCU saves Oklahoma’s season

With 21 seconds left in the game, Kristian Doolittle inbounded the ball to Jamal Bieniemy to set the stage for Austin Reaves.

FORT WORTH, Texas — With 21 seconds left in the game, Kristian Doolittle inbounded the ball to Jamal Bieniemy to set the stage for Austin Reaves.

Taking the ball at half court Reaves took on a defender one-on-one to the right side. Sizing him up, he faked his patented dribble-drive and added a twist—stepping back and nailing an 18-foot fadeaway to cap-off a 17-point second-half comeback.

Reaves flexed. Then fake slashed his throat and said, “game over,” to the TCU crowd, who was in shock and awe at Schollmaier Arena while Kristian Doolittle hounded him from behind.

With a half a second left, Oklahoma had its first lead of the game at 78-76, the only one the Sooners needed.

“For him (Coach Kruger) to have the confidence in me as well as the players, that just shows a lot to me so I just had the confidence to make the shot,” Reaves said postgame.

The Sooners, down 18-points at halftime, clawed their way back over the last 20 minutes to give Oklahoma the largest halftime comeback win on the road in Big 12 history.

Reaves nearly singlehandedly made the comeback possible with his career-high 41-points, becoming the first Sooner since Trae Young on Jan. 30, 2018 against Baylor to score 40+ in a win.

A surprise to everyone but Reaves himself.

“I’ve been playing basketball for a long time, all the hard work I put in, it paid off tonight,” Reaves told reporters postgame.

Reaves was a methodical assassin who did not have any regard for his body so long as the ball found the bottom of the basket.

Taking 16 trips to the foul line, Reaves knocked down 15 of the attempts. The majority of the 26 points Reaves chalked up came from the paint as he slashed his way through defenders and cut through the trees to get the ball to the rim.

“He put us on his back today,” Doolittle said postgame. “We needed all 41 of his points.”

Although Reaves’ points are the talk of the town, his assists allowed the Sooners to him a chance to call ‘game’.

Dishing to Doolittle and Brady Manek in the closing moments, Reaves drew the Horned Frogs defense enough to give his teammates wide-open looks to trim from 10 points at the 3:26 mark to tied at 76 with 55 seconds left.

The win not only gives Reaves a huge confidence boost, but it gives the entire squad a sense of relief.

“(It’s) very relieving,” Doolittle said postgame. “Finishing the season on a strong note, we gotta see how the rankings shake out and see what position we’re in and go from there.”

With the win, Oklahoma is slated as the 3-seed in the Big 12 Tournament and is unofficially locked into the NCAA Tournament. They pick up post-season play on Thursday in Kansas City at the Sprint Center to play 6-seed West Virginia at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN or ESPN2.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oklahoma helps lock up NCAA Tournament bid with 20-point comeback on the road at TCU

It appears for the seventh time in the last eight years, OU is going to be dancing. Comeback win at TCU helps lock up NCAA Tournament bid.

It appears for the seventh time in the last eight years, Oklahoma is going to be dancing.

Heading into Saturday, the Sooners were a loss on the road at TCU away from being squarely on the bubble and a bad showing at the Big 12 Tournament away from maybe being out of the NCAA Tournament.

Oklahoma boasts a 5-9 record in the ever important quadrant I games against teams inside the RPI top-30 for home games, RPI top-50 for neutral site games and in the RPI top-75 for road games. The Horned Frogs (RPI No. 88) provided an opportunity for another quality win against a quadrant II team, but potential for an average or bad loss.

The Sooners got behind by 20 in the first-half on Saturday, then 17 in the second-half. Oklahoma clawed and scratched its way all the way back before an Austin Reaves game-winning shot with half a second left in the game all but secured the Sooners spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Oklahoma last made the NCAA Tournament a year ago as the Sooners won a game against Ole Miss before losing to eventual NCAA Champion Virginia. The Sooners have made the NCAA Tournament in seven of the last eight seasons under Lon Kruger.

The Big 12 Tournament begins on Thursday, where Oklahoma climbed up to being a 3-seed. The Sooners will play 6-seed West Virginia at the Sprint Center in Kansas City at 8 p.m. CT. Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament is on March 15.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oklahoma secures 3-seed in Big 12 Tournament with win over TCU

Don’t ask, just take it. With a win over TCU on Saturday, Oklahoma will somehow be the 3-seed in the Big 12 Tournament next week.

Don’t ask, just take it.

Oklahoma headed into Saturday with a chance to be anywhere from the 3-seed in the Big 12 Tournament to the 7-seed. After West Virginia’s upset win over Baylor, it was either three or seven.

The Sooners got behind by 20 with 3:09 left in the first-half against TCU. After making a run in the second half, the Horned Frogs pushed their lead back up to 17 with 10:22 left in the second half.

Oklahoma came charging after, outscoring TCU 34-17 in the next nine minutes of the game. The Sooners got a stop with :29 seconds left with a chance to win or send the game to overtime.

Lon Kruger got the ball to Austin Reaves, who had scored 39 points. He came off a ball screen at the top of the key, sized up a defender, drove right and hit a game-winning shot with half a second left in the game.

The comeback win gave Oklahoma the 3-seed in the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday, where the Sooners will take on the 6-seed. The 3-6 game is schedule to begin at 8 p.m. CT at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

Oklahoma also likely needed a win to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday takes place on March 15.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Austin Reaves hits game-winning shot in final seconds against TCU

After being down by 19 points in the first half and 17 in the second half, Oklahoma’s Austin Reaves hit a game-winning shot to down TCU.

This is March.

Oklahoma stared a return back to the bubble on the road at TCU. The Sooners suffered a horrible loss on Tuesday night at Texas that ended with a Longhorn bank-in three in the final seconds.

Lon Kruger and Oklahoma got behind by 20 in the first half on the road at TCU on Saturday. The Sooners were behind 17 in the second half. Then, they came charging.

Oklahoma faced a 59-42 deficit with 10:22 left in the game. The Sooners clawed all the way back to tie the game at 76 with 55 seconds left. They got a stop, then got the ball to the hot hand in Austin Reaves.

The Wichita State transfer had scored 39 in the game. He sized up the TCU defender with eight seconds left, drove left, faded and released the shot.

Buckets.

Reaves scored a career-high 41 points, 25 of which came in the second half in the Sooners 78-76 win against TCU. The win likely helped secure Oklahoma with an NCAA Tournament bid and the 3-seed in the Big 12 Tournament.

Kruger and the Sooners will play Thursday night in Kansas City at the Big 12 Basketball Tournament in the last game of the day against the 6-seed. Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament is on March 15.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]