Minggu, 19 Februari 2012

This Weekend's College Basketball Winners and Losers

It was a signifcant weekend in college basketball despite the fact that there was not too many big matchups. This weekend had a signifcant impact on seedings and the bubble as some teams on the bubble had some big wins this weekend. Some teams had some losses that could hurt there seeding and put them into some trouble as they are not in the best position on the bubble. So here is a recap of which teams gained the most this weekend and which teams were hurt this weekend.

Winner: Murray State
After losing for the first time over a week ago to Tennessee State, people were starting wonder if Murray State was overrated and not deserving of a NCAA Tournament bid if they didn't win the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. However, Murray State proved why they were still ranked fourteenth as they cruised past Saint Mary's on national television last night. Murray State will climb into the 4 to 5 seed range and could even go up to a 3 seed as this win joins a resume that includes wins against Southern Miss and at Memphis. Murray State needed a big win to truely rebound from their loss and they did just that.

Winner: Kansas State
The Wildcats have been on the bubble but they were able to give themselves a big boost in their hopes of making the NCAA Tournament as they went to Waco and beat tenth-ranked Baylor. Frank Martin has to be happy about the big win as the Wildcats will now be a lot more secure that they will be back in the tournament. This was a great test for the Wildcats as they were able to hold on in the tough environment in Waco. Kansas State fans have to be happy that their team will most likely be in the tournament now.

Winner: New Mexico
New Mexico got a huge win at San Diego State in the middle of the week and then capped of the week with a huge win at home against UNLV on national television. The Lobos star forward Drew Gordon dominated UNLV's Mike Moser in the post and New Mexico proved that they should be in the top 15 of the top  25 and that they should be a top 5 seed in the tournament. New Mexico has taken full control of the Mountain West and should definitely be the number one seed in the Mountain West Conference Tournament. New Mexico has proven that they will definitely be a difficult opponent once this year's tournament starts in a few weeks.

Winner: The Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley had two major teams playing in BracketBusters in Wichita State and Creighton. Wichita State have been playing like one of the best teams in college basketball and they continued that yesterday as Wichita State demolished Davidson. The Shockers are rising quickly and seem like a serious threat to continue the streak of mid-majors getting to the Final Four. Creighton had been strugling recently and the Blue Jays were in need of a big win against Long Beach State in Omaha and that is what they did. Creighton could use this to refind the form they had earlier in the season when they were dominating teams. Creighton will be able to climb right back up the seeding ladder as this win gives them another quality win on their resume.

Loser: The West Coast Conference
It was not a good Saturday for the West Coast Conference as both Saint Mary's and Gonzaga lost on the road. The Gaels were dominated by Murray State as they have now lost three of their last four games and they could fall out of the top 25. Saint Mary's could fall farther down the seeding chart to a 7, 8, or even a 9 seed as this will be a more dangerous team when their injured players become healthy. Meanwhile, Gonzaga had an even worse loss as they lost at 18-11 San Francisco. The Zags had been playing well recently but this loss will definitely hurt their seeding and the overall strength of the conference. The West Coast Conference did not have a good weekend and this will hurt the seeding of both Saint Mary's and Gonzaga.

Loser: Texas
Texas fell down the ladder in the Big 12 as their loss to Oklahoma State put them in a more worrying spot on the bubble while Kansas State moved ahead of them in the pecking order for making the tournament from the Big 12. Rick Barnes has to motivate his team now as the pressure will rise in Austin due their precarious spot on the bubble. The Longhorns have two ranked opponents in their final four games which could mean that they need to beat one of those two to stay in the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns have put themselves in a much tougher position to make this year's tournament now.

Loser: NC State
The Wolfpack had a tough weekend as they were just in the tournament entering the weekend but now, they are right on the bubble as NC State will now need to make a statement or sweat it out on Selection Sunday. Many experts, including myself, thought NC State could get a huge win at home against ACC co-leaders Florida State. However, Florida State came in to Raleigh and walked over the Wolfpack as the Seminoles proved why they are going to be a top 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. NC State also had two former legends ejected in the stands as it was a terrible game for NC State. NC State has a tough stretch of games upcoming but this will give the Wolfpack a legitimate shot to show that they are a NCAA Tournament quality team.

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