A quiet night in the Bracket and in the Bubble Mix.
Kansas (1 seed, #2) avoided a trap game winning a Quad 2 tilt by 20 at home vs. Iowa St.
Xavier (9 seed, #35) earned an important Quad 1 win at St. John’s.
Notre Dame (Next Eight Out, #78) narrowly avoided disaster at home with a late bucket downing North Carolina in a Quad 3 win.
Tuesday Night Delight:
Business picks up on Tuesday night with multiple Bracket and Bubble Mix contests.
Game of the night potential in the Big East where Creighton (4 seed, #15) and Marquette (5 seed, #19) do battle in Milwaukee in a Quad 1 contest for both teams.
It’s Baylor’s (1 seed, #1) turn to hold serve in a possible trap game before the weekend matchup with Kansas as the Bears travel to Norman to face Oklahoma (10 seed, #40) in a Quad 1 game for both teams. Oklahoma’s position in the Bubble Mix was made all the more precarious in a Saturday defeat at Kansas.
SEC supremacy is on the line as conference leaders Kentucky (5 seed, #18) travel to Baton Rouge with a one-game advantage on LSU (7 seed, #27). This is a Quad 1 contest for both sides.
Staying in the SEC, erstwhile Bracket team and current Bubble Mix side Arkansas (First Four Out, #70) (and the Muss Buss) look to right the ship with a potentially significant Quad 1A matchup in Gainesville with Florida (9 seed, #36). This is a Quad 2 home contest for the Gators who, though safely in as of now, are by no means cemented and which would weaken its case substantially with a loss here.
Dayton (2 seed, #6) looks to make it 15 in a row travelling to Richmond to take on VCU (Next Eight Out, #75). An important contest for the Rams who sit on the wrong side of the Bubble Mix and would do well with a significant Quad 1A win. It’s a Quad 1 game for Dayton.
A couple of important games in the B1G. Purdue (10 seed, #37) heads to Madison for a showdown with Wisconsin (8 seed, #29). Purdue comes off a back to back double-digit losses to Penn St. and Ohio St. and is squarely in the Bubble Mix. Wisconsin has won two in a row and won at Purdue by 19 earlier this year. Quad 1A road battle for Purdue and just into Quad 2 for the hometown Badgers.
Two teams moving in opposite seed line directions square off when Illinois (9 seed, #34) visits Penn St. (3 seed, #11). Big Quad 1A tilt for Illinois while a Quad 2 home contest for the Nittany Lions. The Fighting Illini have lost 4 straight after winning 7 in a row and sitting atop the B1G, and are moving closer to the Bubble Mix. Dynamic guard Ayo Dosunmu’s health is still a big question for Brad Underwood’s side. Penn St. is on an eight game winning streak during which it has cemented its status as one of the best teams in the nation.
Other Games of Note:
West Virginia (4 seed, #13) hosts Oklahoma St. in a Quad 2 opportunity looking to bounce back from three losses in a row.
Florida St. (3 seed, #10) hosts Pittsburgh in a Quad 3 game looking to avenge the season opening loss at the hands of the Panthers.
B1G leaders Maryland ( 2 seed, #7) look to keep things rolling hosting B1G cellar-dwellers Northwestern in a Quad 3 chance for the Terps.
Conference leaders in action include NEC leaders Robert Morris (16 seed First Four Play In, #66) at Northeastern and Tournament-ineligible Merrimack (shouts to the Warriors) at Bryant.
Dubz on Hoops 