The biggest winner of Wednesday’s college basketball lead was the college basketball itself. It was almost exactly a year ago – with the big conference tournaments that made it through their previous games – that the sports world came to a standstill amid the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a year later, we are finally awarding some conference champions.
Although teams are still immersed in strict protocols regarding the virus, and arenas are far from packed, it seems that the sport is now in a better position than at any stage since this fateful week a year ago. Up to this point in the conference tournament, we had avoided the frequent wave of cancellations / postponements that plagued the regular season, and no one with a legitimate NCAA tournament hope was forced to withdraw from a conference tournament.
In fact, there were a few teams that were badly needed on Wednesday this week, such as Syracuse and Duke, who played matters in the second round of the ACC tournament. The Blue Devils and the Orange is one of the best winners of the day’s action as we draw closer to our first real selection Sunday since 2019.
Winner: Duke stays alive and strengthens his resume
With a resounding 70-56 victory over Louisville, Duke (13-11) took his second score in the winning column in as many days at the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils still stay out of the NCAA Tournament, but they are now watching a big test Thursday against Florida State, which will give them a Quad 1 victory and bring them closer to the league’s automatic spot. Less than a week ago, this Duke team dropped three straight to close out its regular season, but it now appears to be rising at an opportune time, making its bubble fall much more interesting than expected.
Winner: Syracuse’s bubble heap
With its big NCAA tournament hanging on a wire, Syracuse, which entered the ACC tournament as one of Jerry Palm’s “last four in”, secured a much-needed victory to survive and in the league’s aftermath. season series to progress. Led by Buddy Boeheim’s 27 points, Orange defeated NC State 89-68 in a surprisingly sudden result that would give them momentum to play in a game Thursday against no. 16 Virginia to move. The bubble is very tortuous at the moment, so Cuse’s hopes for tournament are no sure thing, but it was a major win to place them for a big Quad 1 chance against the reigning national champion in the ACC quarters .
Loser: Xavier wants in a bubbling moment
The 7-seeded Musketeers led by as many as 19 in the first half before taking a 40-26 lead at halftime against No. 10 seed Butler in the first round of the Big East tournament. It looked like Xavier might be heading for a major victory in his quest to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Instead, Butler roared back and won 70-69 in overtime. The Musketeers entered the day as one of the “last four in” for the Big Dance, according to Palm’s Bracketology, but a loss to the Bulldogs (10-14) could have a fatal impact on their NCAA tournament chances.
Winner: Miami becomes a pleasant underdog
The biggest stir of the day in the big conference post-season subsided in the ACC as Miami, the 13-seeded, the 5-seeded Clemson improved 67-64. The Hurricanes went through injuries and unhappiness all season – they played with only six bursary players! – to see them oust an uninsured tournament team at less than full strength showed a serious battle (and reflected rather poorly on Clemson). Miami has a long way to go before the ACC title game – with Georgia Tech next in line – but this team is a fun, mischievous dog with a heart and chase that already has two wins in the ACC tournament among the knee has. As long as Isaiah Wong keeps his hot streak rolling (he has scored 20 points in consecutive games), this team has a chance to serve as a treat.
Loser: Marquette lays an egg in the Big East tournament
The first game of the Big East tournament struck with a thunderous beat. This is because while Georgetown showed up for the game, Marquette apparently forgot it was a game day. Or at least they played like they played. The Golden Eagles picked up a season-low 49 points in their 19-point defeat against the Hoyas. The defeat secured the first losing season (13-14) of the program since 2014-’15 – the first year Wojo took the reins of Buzz Williams.
Winner: Wyoming explodes for a record day in MWC
The Wyoming Cowboys comfortably rode to a 111-80 victory over San Jose State in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament on Wednesday. The offensive explosion was the third most in a match in tournament history and the most in a tournament since 2002. It was also the second most points for the school in at least a decade and ends just behind the 114 points in which he scored . a 2018 loss to New Mexico. They will need all the firepower to return on Thursday as they take on San Diego State, who have lost twice by 30 and 27 points respectively in the regular season.
Winner: Iona beats Siena, number 1 seed
First-year coach Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels is now two wins past the NCAA Tournament after defeating No. 1 seed Siena 55-52 in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament. Iona is number 9 in the tournament, but it’s a little misleading. The MAAC selected teams according to the total number of conference victories instead of the winning percentage. After playing 6-3 in the league, it appears he is legal, despite playing a shortened lead for the regular season. The next series for the Gaels is a semifinal on Friday with the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinals between No. 4 seeded Marist and No. 5 seeded Niagara.
Although we have avoided large-scale disasters so far this week due to COVID-19 issues, one NCAA tournament bubble team may feel the impact of the virus this week. Wichita State, which is a predicted No. 9 series in Palm’s Bracketology but is still bubbling, will be without two players at the AAC tournament. Coach Isaac Brown revealed the looming absence of media on Wednesday, but he did not say which two players the no. 1 selected Shockers will be missing as they advance to the quarterfinals of Friday in the match between USF and no. 9 did not approve Temple.
Winner: Loyola (MD) is a real Cinderella
We’re used to Loyola Chicago playing the role of Cinderella in March, but what about Loyola Maryland? The Greyhounds finished just 4-10 during the Patriot League game, but are on their way to Sunday’s title game against Colgate, number 2, after beating No. 1 on Wednesday. 4-seeded Army defeated 67-63 in a semifinal. The win follows a 76-68 victory over the No. 1 seeded fleet in the quarterfinals. If Colgate knocks down the second-seeded Colgate and wins the NCAA Tournament, it may be the cherry on top, but it has already been a good lead for a program amid its eighth losing season.
Loser: Washington ends worst season in nearly 30 years
The Washington Huskies have been nothing short of unstable this season as one of the least effective major conference teams in college basketball. So it was fitting that their season ended Wednesday night with a one-on-one performance of the Pac-12 tournament. The loss – a 98-95 defeat to Utah – ended a 5-20 season for the Huskies, the least win for the program since the Pac-10 became the Pac-12. The five wins are also the least for the Huskies since a 5-22 campaign in 1993-1994.