March Madness
is quickly approaching! Here is everything you need to know,
including some key games to watch and who’s on the bubble ahead of
Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament:
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS
All eyes will
be on the conference tournaments this week:
— The ACC Tournament is March
7-11 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
— The Big 12 Tournament is March
8-11 in Kansas City, Missouri.
— The Big Ten Tournament is March
8-12 in Chicago.
— The Big East Tournament is March
8-11 in New York.
— The Pac-12 Tournament is March
8-11 in Las Vegas.
— The SEC Tournament is
March 8-12 in Nashville, Tennessee.
MARCH MADNESS
Selection
Sunday is March 12, when bracket matchups will be set for the First Four
and first- and second-round games that stretch from Florida to
California.
Sweet 16
weekend will see games in New York City (East Region), Las Vegas
(West), Kansas City, Missouri (Midwest), and Louisville, Kentucky
(South).
Where is the
Final Four? In Houston, on April 1, with the championship game on
April 3.
Basketball
aficionados, take note: The women’s NCAA
Tournament will hold its Final Four in Dallas, a four-hour
drive from Houston.
BETTING GUIDE
Who’s going
to win the national championship? With the regular season over, the
betting favorites as of this week to reach the Final Four are
Houston, Alabama, Kansas and Purdue, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. That matches
the top teams in the NCAA’s initial seed
watch. UCLA is in the mix near the top in the AP Top 25 too.
WHO’S IN
These teams
are already going dancing after landing their league’s automatic
bid: Kennesaw State (26-8,
Atlantic Sun), UNC Asheville (27-7, Big
South), Fairleigh Dickinson (19-14,
Northeast), Drake (27-7, Missouri
Valley), Furman (27-7,
Southern), Louisiana-Lafayette (26-7,
Sun Belt), Southeast Missouri
State (19-16, Ohio Valley), Gonzaga (28-5, West
Coast), College of
Charleston (31-3, Colonial Athletic
Association), Oral Roberts (30-4, Summit
League), Texas A&M-Corpus
Christi (23-10, Southland), Montana State (25-9, Big
Sky), Northern Kentucky (22-12,
Horizon League) and Colgate (26-8, Patriot
League).
BUBBLE WATCH
Arizona State (22-12, 11-9 Pac-12): The Sun
Devils could have strengthened their NCAA Tournament hopes by
beating Arizona for a second time this season. Arizona State failed
in that bid, losing to their rival 78-59 in the Pac-12 Tournament
semifinals, but still should be in good shape after beating
Southern California in the tournament quarterfinals.
Oklahoma State (18-15, 8-10 Big 12): The Cowboys’
NCAA Tournament chances looked good not that long ago. Closing the
season with six losses in eight games, including to No. 7 Texas in
the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, may dash their hopes.
Clemson (23-10, 14-6 ACC): The Tigers tied for
third in the ACC regular season but will be sweating out Selection
Sunday during a down year in the ACC. Clemson missed out on a big
resume-booster by losing by 20 to No. 13 Virginia in the ACC
Tournament semifinals.
Providence (21-11, 13-7 Big East): The Friars
closed the season with three straight losses, which will lead to
some tense moments on Selection Sunday. A close loss to No. 11
UConn after a huge rally in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals,
along with a solid resume, could nudge them into the bracket.
GAMES TO WATCH
Florida Atlantic (30-3) vs. UAB (25-8), Conference USA
championship, Saturday, 8:30 p.m. Eastern
(CBSSN): Every team riding the NCAA Tournament bubble
will be rooting for the Owls, who could slip into the dance as an
at-large team if they lose to the Blazers in the finals. They would
much rather FAU take the automatic berth and free up another spot
for them.
Ohio
State (16-18) vs. No. 5 Purdue (27-5), Saturday, 1 p.m. Eastern
(CBS): The Buckeyes have been the biggest surprise of any
conference tournament, but every team on the bubble will be pulling
for the Boilermakers to knock them out. With two more wins, Ohio
State would be swiping another bid from a potential at-large
team.