B101's Questions For The Weekend

Here's what we're wondering heading into this weekend's games:

Friday's Games
Who's the best team in the Ivy? The winner of Harvard at Princeton will give us an early leader in the clubhouse.

Saturday's Games
Nebraska knocked off A&M at home last weekend...can the Huskers do the same to Kansas this weekend?

Can Texas take care of Texas Tech at home to lock down a spot on the 1 line?

Is Florida the best team in the SEC? If the Gators beat Kentucky in Gainesville on Saturday, they might be seeded that way on Monday.

Who deserves the best seed from the Pac-10? After Washington's slip-up against Oregon State, it might be Arizona (if the Wildcats can take care of Cal).

Could Washington State have played any worse against Oregon? Are the Cougars worthy of a bid even if they win at Oregon State?

Can the Flying Jimmers complete a season sweep of UNLV?

Can Pitt take care of Cincinnati at home? Isn't it about time the Bearcats picked up a second quality win in conference?

Will Villanova complete a nice 2-0 week with a home win over West Virginia?

Can Missouri and A&M bounce back from losses earlier in the week and beat Baylor and Colorado, respectively, at home?

Will a win at Iowa State be enough to get Kansas State back in the bracket?

Has Syracuse righted the ship? If so, they should no problem at South Florida.

Can Vandy avoid falling to 3-5 in conference and beat South Carolina?

Will Illinois survive a tricky road game at Northwestern?

Does VCU still deserve the Colonial automatic? If George Mason beats ODU at home, the Rams might get bumped.

Can Duquesne improve to 9-0 in the A-10 (9-0!) with a road win over the Bonnies?

Can Xavier and Temple stay within striking distance of the Dukes by beating Saint Louis and Rhode Island at home?

How bad is Conference USA right now? Is Memphis still the team to beat?

Speaking of the Tigers, can they burst Gonzaga's bubble with a win in Spokane?

Does Butler have any chance of winning at Cleveland State after the way they played at Youngstown State?

Seriously, Youngstown State?

Who deserves the Missouri Valley automatic right now? Missouri State (after their head-scratching loss at Evansville)? Northern Iowa (who's won eight in a row)? Or Wichita State (who is a game up in conference but already has home losses to the other two?)

Does the Valley deserve two bids on Monday?

Who needs the win more - St. John's or UCLA? Who gets it?

Can BC save its spot in the bracket and beat Virginia Tech at home?

Can Tennessee avoid losing a trap game at home against Alabama? The Vols play at Kentucky and at Florida next week.

Sunday's Games
Can Minnesota knock off Ohio State? The Gophers will have play a tiny bit better than they did against Indiana on Wednesday.

Doesn't Michigan State just seem destined for the NIT at this point? Do the Spartans still deserve a bid on Monday (with 10 losses) if they don't upset Wisconsin at the Kohl Center?

Is Penn State a one-week wonder? Can the Nittany Lions beat Michigan at home to stay in the bracket?

How will Larry Drew's departure affect North Carolina? Can the Tar Heels beat Florida State at home and keep pace with Duke in conference?

B101's Bracket Banter - Thursday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Thursday's Games
There are only a few power conference games worth watching tonight, which means two mid-majors battling for at-large bids will take center stage.

In the biggest game of the night, Gonzaga faces an absolute must-win at Portland. The Zags are the last team in our bracket this week after their home loss to St. Mary's, and they'll need to win this game and then beat Memphis at home this weekend to avoid dropping out. If they lose one of those two games, they would likely have to win out to have any hope at an at-large.

The second key mid-major game of the night is Valparaiso at Cleveland State. Both of these teams are fighting for the Horizon regular season title (Cleveland State leads by a half game) and for a chance at an at-large. Cleveland State has a very pretty record and a nice RPI, but one of their three losses was at Valpo. A season sweep at the hands of the Crusaders would not exactly look good on a resume. If the Vikings do get the win at home and then beat Butler over the weekend, they have to be considered a serious at-large contender. If Valpo wins, they'd have a big leg up in the race to win the Horizon title, which in a 68-team field, could be viewed as an at-large worthy accomplishment.

Three of the four Pac-10 teams in our bracket are also in action tonight, and all play on the road. Washington, which is looking to bounce back from its loss to Washington State, plays at Oregon State, Arizona plays at Stanford, and Washington State plays at Oregon. The Cougars stayed in the field this week thanks to their upset of the Huskies, but their spot is far from secure. They still have the fourth-best resume in a league that might only deserve three bids, and they play five of their next seven on the road. They're just 1-3 on the road in conference so far, with the lone win coming at Stanford.

The only other notable game of the night is Michigan at Ohio State. This game had all the makings of a blowout a week ago, but the Wolverines have now won two straight and looked very good in winning at Michigan State last Thursday. (Or maybe the Spartans are just that bad right now.) This is the unbeaten Buckeyes' easiest game for a while: their next five games are all against tourney-caliber Big Ten teams, starting with a trip to Minnesota this weekend.

Also keep an eye on: Notre Dame at DePaul, Tennessee at Auburn, Pepperdine at St. Mary's, Butler at Youngstown State, Belmont at Jacksonville, Liberty at Coastal Carolina

B101's Bracket Banter - Wednesday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Wednesday's Games
If there are going to be significant changes in our next bracket, it will likely be because of what happens tonight across the country. Twenty-six of the 68 teams we have in our current field are in action tonight, as are seven of the eight teams on our First Eight Out list.

The two most important games of the night involve teams that are thisclose to earning a bid - Maryland and Colorado State. The Terps host Duke tonight in College Park, three days after the Blue Devils were embarrassed by St. John's in the Garden. That loss knocked Duke off of the 1 line, and they'll have a tougher road getting back there if they lose this one. Maryland, meanwhile, has won three in a row to get back into the bubble mix after a 1-3 start in conference. The Terps have don't have any terrible losses on their resume, but they only have one Top 50 win and they've yet to beat a tourney-caliber ACC team. A victory here would give them a second marquee win, a much-needed RPI bump, and most importantly, a resume worthy of an at-large.

In the Mountain West, Colorado State can stake their claim to an at-large with a win over the visiting Aztecs. The Rams have a nice profile already - they have a road win at UNLV and are in third place in the fourth-ranked conference in the country - but they need a second signature win. They missed out on an opportunity to get that second win at home against BYU a week and a half ago, and if they miss out again tonight, they are going to have to beat SDSU or BYU on the road to be at-large worthy.

In other important bubble games, Georgia plays at Arkansas, Virginia Tech plays at N.C. State, Baylor plays at Oklahoma, Nebraska plays at Kansas State, and Missouri plays at Oklahoma State. The Big XII bubble is an absolute mess right now, and has left the third ranked conference in the country with as many bids as the Mountain West, Pac-10, and A-10. Oklahoma State has dropped below Baylor, Kansas State, and Nebraska in the Big XII pecking order, but they can return to relevance with an upset at home against the Tigers. Kansas State has the easiest remaining schedule of any Big XII bubble team, but they've also lost five of their last seven. Nebraska, meanwhile, stunned everyone with the defensive effort they put forth against Texas A&M this past weekend. If the Huskers can get past the Wildcats tonight, their schedule sets up nicely for them to make a real run at a bid. They host Kansas this weekend and they still have home games left against Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas State, and Missouri.

There are also two huge games tonight in the Big East, as Syracuse plays at UConn and Marquette plays at Villanova. The Orange have now famously lost four in a row are down to a 5 seed in out latest bracket. They face a Huskies team tonight that will be out to avenge a rare Gampel Pavilion loss at the hands on Louisville on Saturday. UConn was our fourth and final 1 seed this week, but their hold on that spot is very tenuous given the tear that Texas has been on the last three weeks. A slip-up here, and they'll be back on the 2 line. In the other notable Big East game, Marquette will try to avoid picking up its ninth loss of the year by winning on the road against the struggling Wildcats. The Golden Eagles resume is shaping up to be one of the toughest resumes to evaluate in the country. They have three Top 25 wins, but they've lost a ton of close games and their RPI (59) has been hurt because of some really bad small conference teams they played early in the year. A win tonight would keep Marquette safely in the field, while a loss would leave as one of the last teams in.

It's also a big night in the Colonial and the A-10. In the Colonial, Old Dominion hosts (and looks for revenge against) Delaware, VCU plays at Northeastern, and George Mason hosts Hofstra. In the A-10, Temple plays at LaSalle, Xavier plays at Charlotte, Richmond hosts St. Joseph's, and bracket newcomer Duquesne hosts George Washington.

Also keep an eye on: Michigan State at Iowa, Minnesota at Indiana, Rutgers at St. John's, Seton Hall at West Virginia, Clemson at Virginia, BYU at Wyoming, Utah at UNLV, USC at UCLA, Nevada at Utah State, Missouri State at Evansville, Tulsa at Memphis, Southern Miss at UAB, Illinois State at Northern Iowa

B101's Bracket Banter - Tuesday

Bracket Banter is our daily open thread to discuss all things bracket. Readers can post comments and questions during the night's games, and we will answer those questions as the night goes on.

Tuesday's Games
Who's the second best team in the Big Ten? The SEC? The ACC? We'll get at least some temporary answers to those questions tonight.

In the Big Ten, Purdue visits the Kohl Center to play a Wisconsin team looking to bounce back from their loss at Penn State on Saturday. The Boilermakers have a game and a half lead over the Badgers for second place in conference, and if they have designs on catching Ohio State, they probably need this game. That won't be an easy task against a Wisconsin team that is undefeated at home, a mark that includes wins over Minnesota and Illinois. In the SEC, Vanderbilt plays at Florida in a game that features two teams looking to regroup after bad losses over the weekend. The Gators are slightly ahead of Vandy on our S-curve this week, and if they can win this game and they beat Kentucky at home this weekend, an argument could be made for Florida to be the lowest-seeded SEC team.

Finally, in the ACC, North Carolina plays at BC in what is a key game for both teams. The Tar Heels have won eight of nine, are alone in second place in conference, and are up to a 6 seed in our latest bracket. They can put a little more room between themselves and Florida State in the ACC pecking order if than can win this one. The Eagles, meanwhile, have been trending the other way. They've lost three of four (all on the road), and they'll need at least a split this week (they host Virginia Tech on Saturday) to avoid slipping onto the bubble.

The biggest bubble game of the night is Penn State at Illinois. The Nittany Lions jumped into the field this week after their big win over Wisconsin, but their spot is by no means safe. Their road schedule is very difficult from here on out, and they are going to have to win at least one road game to impress the committee and to get to 10-8 in conference. They have to like their chances tonight against an Illini team that has lost four of five, which includes a road loss to Penn State back on Jan. 11.

Also keep an eye on: Kansas at Texas Tech, Kentucky at Mississippi, Wake Forest at Florida State, Wichita State at Indiana State, New Mexico at Air Force