Virginia and Arizona Upset on Final Weekend
Gators cut down nets after win over Kentucky
Two of the teams trying for a number one seed this weekend were beaten as the Maryland Terrapins knocked off the ACC Champion Virginia Cavaliers and the Oregon Ducks beat the Arizona Wildcats.
The Florida Gators virtually wrapped up a number one seed with their win over the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. Meanwhile the Wichita State Shockers have advance to the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Even if they lose to the Indiana State Sycamores they will most likely get a number one with the nation’s best record.
The final two of the one seeds may be up for grabs going in to next weekend’s conference tournaments though as not only did Arizona and Virginia lose this weekend but also the Kansas Jayhawks lost to the West Virginia Mountaineers. Also, the Duke Blue Devils beat the North Carolina Tar Heels, putting them in position to take advantage of the UVa loss.
Other teams who may still have number one aspirations include the Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten. If one of them wins the Big Ten Tournament, they should be a strong candidate ans the conference is widely regarded as the toughest in the nation. Wisconsin has a big game on Sunday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers who are on the NCAA bubble and could really use a win in this one. It will be interesting to see the polls come out on Monday.
Barring a stunner today, the Gators and Shockers will retain the top two spots. After that Duke looks like a likely #3. One team that is flying low but could be #4 in the rankings this week is the Villanova Wildcats. Should they win the Big East Tournament they might be in the running for a #1 also.
The Syracuse Orange has a big Sunday game at the FSU Seminoles. If they can win that one and then go on to win the ACC Tournament, they could wind up a one seed despite their late season struggles.
So to make a long story short, this year is no different than any other college basketball season. There will be a lot of huge games up until the last games of the Conference Tournaments.
And we haven’t even talked about the bubble teams yet. Here are some teams that need good conference tournament runs, and could possibly have one. The Georgia Bulldogs were 12-6 in the SEC regular season, which is tied for second with Kentucky. A bad non-conference season has them on the outside looking in but if they were to advance to the SEC final against the Gators and give them a tough game, they might deserve a bid.
The Pittsburgh Panthers are a team that needs a good ACC Tournament run ans are the Seminoles. But are probably on the outside of the NCAA right now The Arkansas Razorbacks may have shot themselves in the foot by getting blown out by the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. It would not be a good idea for them to go out of the SEC Tournament early.
Next week is one of the biggest on the sports calendar with all these major conference tournaments. We will have our odds and picks all throughout the week so stay here for all your betting info.
