SelectionSunday
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By Buzz King (@Fieldof68Freak)
ROAD TO SELECTION SUNDAY -- A look back at the week in college basketball, as always starting with our weekly “Field of 68” projection. Projected automatic qualifiers in multiple-bid conferences are noted with a *. At-large teams with zero wins vs. NET top 50 opponents are noted with a #.
FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (through games played 1/3/24)
America East (1): UMass-Lowell (158)
American (1): Memphis (31)
ACC (4): *Duke (3), Pitt (12), Clemson (34), Louisville (50)
ASUN (1): Lipscomb (89)
Atlantic 10 (2): *Dayton (44), #Saint Bonaventure (53)
Big East (3): *Marquette (9), UConn (13), #Saint John’s (38)
Big Sky (1): Northern Colorado (134)
Big South (1): High Point (136)
Big Ten (11): Illinois (5), Michigan (11), UCLA (14), Maryland (18), *Michigan State (20), Oregon (23), Wisconsin (25), Ohio State (27), Purdue (32), Penn State (41), #Nebraska (43)
Big XII (6): *Houston (6), Iowa State (7), Baylor (15), Kansas (19), Cincinnati (26), West Virginia (29)
Big West (1): UC-Riverside (138)
Coastal (1): Elon (113)
Conference USA (1): Western Kentucky (114)
Horizon (1): Youngstown State (169)
Ivy (1): Yale (92)
MAAC (1): Merrimack (183)
MAC (1): Akron (152)
MEAC (1): Norfolk State (142)
Missouri Valley (2): Drake (59), *Bradley (70)
Mountain West (4): Utah State (24), San Diego State (48), Boise State (51), *New Mexico (76)
NEC (1): Central Connecticut (132)
OVC (1): Southeast Missouri State (229)
Patriot (1): Holy Cross (224)
SEC (12): *Auburn (1), Tennessee (2), Florida (4), Alabama (10), Kentucky (16), Mississippi State (17), Texas A&M (22), Georgia (28), #Vanderbilt (35), Arkansas (37), Oklahoma (42), Missouri (47)
SoCon (1): Furman (72)
Southland (1): McNeese (81)
SWAC (1): Southern U (249)
Summit (1): South Dakota State (112); replaces St. Thomas (97), ineligible for NCAA Tournament
Sun Belt (1): Arkansas State (93)
WCC (2): Gonzaga (8), *San Francisco (57)
WAC (1): Grand Canyon (105)
--------------------------------------
Bid Stealers (3): San Francisco (57), Bradley (70), New Mexico (76)
Last 4 At-Large In (Dayton): #Vanderbilt (35), #Nebraska (43), Louisville (50), Drake (59)
Last 4 Automatic Qualifiers (Dayton): Merrimack (183), Holy Cross (224), Southeast Missouri State (229), Southern U (249)
First 4 Out: Ole Miss (36), North Carolina (46), Saint Mary’s (49), Arizona State (54)
On the Radar O’Reilly (9): Texas Tech (30), SMU (33), BYU (39), Texas (40), Northwestern (45), LSU (52), UC-San Diego (56), UCF (65), Georgetown (75)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (6): Gonzaga (8), Utah State (24), San Diego State (48), Boise State (51), Saint Bonaventure (53), Drake (59)
-----------------------------------------
Summit Schoenecker Showdown
The game of the week in Minnesota takes place Wednesday (8 pm, FOX9+) in St. Paul. St. Thomas (11-5, 1-0 Summit League) -- fresh off its impressive 89-85 road win at North Dakota State -- welcomes preseason Summit League favorite South Dakota State (10-6, 1-0) and 6-foot-11 big man stud Oscar Cluff (17.9 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 69.4 FG%, 81.4 FT%) to Schoenecker Arena. Provided the Tommies don’t unexpectedly slip up Saturday in Grand Forks vs. the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, Wednesday could be the most anticipated UST home game since Max Abmas & Oral Roberts rolled into town two seasons ago.
Ho, Ho, Ho, (Buckeyes) Just Like A Yo-Yo
I’m calling it. The Gophers will get their first Big Ten win Monday (8 pm, FS1) at The Barn vs. Ohio State. The Buckeyes (9-5, 1-2 Big Ten) are capable, as a 20-point win over Kentucky would attest, but they’ve been a bit of a up & down yo-yo.
To wit.
OSU opened the season with a nice win vs. Texas, lost at home to Pitt, lost @ Maryland by 24, lost to Auburn by 38, thumped Kentucky, then last night (Friday) dropped its second home game (Michigan State) of the season. The Gophers should have a decent chance to muck it up effectively vs. the Buckeyes, keep it close, then pull one out at the end. Let’s go with Gophers win it by keeping the game in the 60s. (note: if you “get” my “just like a yo-yo” reference, you’re likely old and a 70’s music savant like me)
The Unconquered 3 (It Just Means More)
#2 Tennessee (13-0)
#4 Florida (13-0)
#42 Oklahoma (13-0)
Heart of the Bubblicious (NET #45-55)
#45 Northwestern (OUT)
#46 North Carolina (OUT)
#47 Missouri (IN)
#48 San Diego State (IN)
#49 Saint Mary’s (OUT)
#50 Louisville (IN)
#51 Boise State (IN)
#52 LSU (OUT)
#53 Saint Bonaventure (IN)
#54 Arizona State (OUT)
#55 Iowa (OUT)
POWER 5 HEAD-TO-HEAD (+ Gonzaga/Saint Mary’s/San Diego State)
1 SEC (60-19, 75.9%)
2 Gonzaga/Saint Mary’s/San Diego State (10-7, 58.8%)
3 Big Ten (33-26, 55.9%)
4 Big East (19-24, 44.2%)
5 Big XII (25-34, 42.4%)
6 ACC (16-53, 23.2%)
Power 5 Teams Non-Conference Record vs. Power 5 (final, except for Duke vs. Illinois on Feb. 22)
6-0: Oklahoma, Tennessee
5-0: Florida
4-0: Oregon, Vanderbilt
5-1: Auburn
4-1: Marquette, Wisconsin
6-2: Texas A&M
3-1: Georgia, Iowa State, Mississippi State, Saint Mary’s, UConn
5-2: Alabama
4-2: Kansas
2-1: Cincinnati, Clemson, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, UCLA
3-2: Butler, Kentucky, LSU, Pitt, San Diego State, South Carolina, West Virginia
4-4: Gonzaga
3-3: Michigan, Purdue
2-2: Arkansas, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Rutgers, Saint John’s, Texas
1-1: Iowa, Nebraska, Penn State
2-3: Baylor, Houston, Ohio State, Wake Forest, Xavier
2-4: Creighton, Louisville
1-2: Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, Georgetown, Providence, SMU, TCU, UCF, Villanova
1-3: Cal, Virginia
1-4: Notre Dame
1-5: North Carolina
0-1: Boston College, Minnesota, Stanford
0-2: DePaul, Florida State, Kansas State, USC
0-3: Miami, Seton Hall, Utah
0-4: Georgia Tech, NC State, Virginia Tech
0-5: Arizona, Syracuse
THE LOCAL NET”ters”
#97 St. Thomas (8-5 vs. D1, 1-0 Summit League)
#165 Minnesota (8-6, 0-3 Big Ten)
St. Thomas Week Ahead
Saturday: @ #302 North Dakota
Wednesday: Host #112 South Dakota State
Jan. 11: Host #235 South Dakota
Tommies Stat Leaders
Miles Barnstable (13.7 points per game), Kendall Blue (4.1 rebounds per game), Drake Dobbs (3.5 assists per game), Barnstable (1.2 steals per game), Dobbs (55 3PFG%), Nolan Minessale (.9 blocks per game)
Tommies (D1) Non-Conference D1 Opponents (#282 non-conference SOS)
Arizona State (9-3)
Oklahoma State (8-4)
Milwaukee (8-5)
UC-Riverside (8-5)
Northern Colorado (6-5)
Portland State (5-5)
Montana (5-6)
Wofford (4-8)
Bowling Green (3-8)
Western Michigan (2-9)
Green Bay (2-13)
Chicago State (1-15)
Totals: (61-86, 41.5%)
Minnesota Week Ahead
Monday: Host #27 Ohio State
Friday: @ #25 Wisconsin
Gophers Stat Leaders
Dawson Garcia (19.1 points per game), Garcia (7.2 rebounds per game), Lu’Cye Patterson (3.9 assists per game), Femi Odukale (1.8 steals per game), Mike Mitchell Jr. (41.94 3PFG%), Odukale (1.4 blocks per game)
Gophers Non-Conference D1 Opponents (#354 non-conference SOS)
Wake Forest (10-4)
North Texas (8-3)
Wichita State (9-4)
Cleveland State (6-6)
Yale (6-6)
Omaha (5-9)
Bethune-Cookman (3-10)
Central Michigan (2-6)
Morgan State (2-10)
Oral Roberts (1-8)
Fairleigh Dickinson (1-11)
Totals: (53-77, 40.8%)
B1G Tenuous Trio – falling short of Weakling Wednesday?
The 3 Big Ten teams tracking toward an early end to their 2024-25 season (no invitation to Indianapolis & the Big Ten Tournament):
#16 Rutgers (8-6, 1-2)
#17 Washington (10-4, 1-2)
#18 Minnesota (8-6, 0-3)
NET Kings
#1 Auburn (12-1)
Kinda’ Bubble Cutline
#50 Louisville (9-5)
Stuck in the Middle with You
#182 Longwood (8-5)
Bottom of the Barrel
#364 Mississippi Valley State (0-11)
WEEKEND AHEAD (games to watch Saturday, Jan. 4 & Sunday, Jan. 5)
Saturday
Florida @ Kentucky, 10 (ESPN)
Georgia @ Ole Miss, 11 (SECN)
Arkansas @ Tennessee, 12 (ESPN)
Baylor @ Iowa State, 1 (CBS)
UCLA @ Nebraska, 1 (FOX)
St. Thomas @ North Dakota, 1
Duke @ SMU, 1:15 (CWN)
Missouri @ Auburn, 3 (SECN)
San Diego State @ Boise State, 3 (CBS)
Oklahoma @ Alabama, 5 (SECN)
San Francisco @ Washington State, 6 (ESPN+)
Texas @ Texas A&M, 7 (SECN)
Michigan @ USC, 7 (FOX)
UC-Riverside @ UC-Irvine, 9 (ESPN+)
Sunday
Indiana @ Penn State, 11 (BTN)
Northwestern @ Purdue, 1 (BTN)
Kansas @ UCF, 3 (ESPN+)
Maryland @ Oregon, 3 (Peacock)
Illinois @ Washington, 3 (BTN)
North Texas @ Memphis, 4 (ESPN)
Preseason Final 4: Alabama, Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa State (national champ = Gonzaga)
Next Road to Selection Sunday/Field of 68: Late Sunday, January 12
ROAD TO SELECTION SUNDAY -- A look back at the week in college basketball, as always starting with our weekly “Field of 68” projection. Projected automatic qualifiers in multiple-bid conferences are noted with a *. At-large teams with zero wins vs. NET top 50 opponents are noted with a #.
FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (through games played 1/3/24)
America East (1): UMass-Lowell (158)
American (1): Memphis (31)
ACC (4): *Duke (3), Pitt (12), Clemson (34), Louisville (50)
ASUN (1): Lipscomb (89)
Atlantic 10 (2): *Dayton (44), #Saint Bonaventure (53)
Big East (3): *Marquette (9), UConn (13), #Saint John’s (38)
Big Sky (1): Northern Colorado (134)
Big South (1): High Point (136)
Big Ten (11): Illinois (5), Michigan (11), UCLA (14), Maryland (18), *Michigan State (20), Oregon (23), Wisconsin (25), Ohio State (27), Purdue (32), Penn State (41), #Nebraska (43)
Big XII (6): *Houston (6), Iowa State (7), Baylor (15), Kansas (19), Cincinnati (26), West Virginia (29)
Big West (1): UC-Riverside (138)
Coastal (1): Elon (113)
Conference USA (1): Western Kentucky (114)
Horizon (1): Youngstown State (169)
Ivy (1): Yale (92)
MAAC (1): Merrimack (183)
MAC (1): Akron (152)
MEAC (1): Norfolk State (142)
Missouri Valley (2): Drake (59), *Bradley (70)
Mountain West (4): Utah State (24), San Diego State (48), Boise State (51), *New Mexico (76)
NEC (1): Central Connecticut (132)
OVC (1): Southeast Missouri State (229)
Patriot (1): Holy Cross (224)
SEC (12): *Auburn (1), Tennessee (2), Florida (4), Alabama (10), Kentucky (16), Mississippi State (17), Texas A&M (22), Georgia (28), #Vanderbilt (35), Arkansas (37), Oklahoma (42), Missouri (47)
SoCon (1): Furman (72)
Southland (1): McNeese (81)
SWAC (1): Southern U (249)
Summit (1): South Dakota State (112); replaces St. Thomas (97), ineligible for NCAA Tournament
Sun Belt (1): Arkansas State (93)
WCC (2): Gonzaga (8), *San Francisco (57)
WAC (1): Grand Canyon (105)
--------------------------------------
Bid Stealers (3): San Francisco (57), Bradley (70), New Mexico (76)
Last 4 At-Large In (Dayton): #Vanderbilt (35), #Nebraska (43), Louisville (50), Drake (59)
Last 4 Automatic Qualifiers (Dayton): Merrimack (183), Holy Cross (224), Southeast Missouri State (229), Southern U (249)
First 4 Out: Ole Miss (36), North Carolina (46), Saint Mary’s (49), Arizona State (54)
On the Radar O’Reilly (9): Texas Tech (30), SMU (33), BYU (39), Texas (40), Northwestern (45), LSU (52), UC-San Diego (56), UCF (65), Georgetown (75)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (6): Gonzaga (8), Utah State (24), San Diego State (48), Boise State (51), Saint Bonaventure (53), Drake (59)
-----------------------------------------
Summit Schoenecker Showdown
The game of the week in Minnesota takes place Wednesday (8 pm, FOX9+) in St. Paul. St. Thomas (11-5, 1-0 Summit League) -- fresh off its impressive 89-85 road win at North Dakota State -- welcomes preseason Summit League favorite South Dakota State (10-6, 1-0) and 6-foot-11 big man stud Oscar Cluff (17.9 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 69.4 FG%, 81.4 FT%) to Schoenecker Arena. Provided the Tommies don’t unexpectedly slip up Saturday in Grand Forks vs. the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, Wednesday could be the most anticipated UST home game since Max Abmas & Oral Roberts rolled into town two seasons ago.
Ho, Ho, Ho, (Buckeyes) Just Like A Yo-Yo
I’m calling it. The Gophers will get their first Big Ten win Monday (8 pm, FS1) at The Barn vs. Ohio State. The Buckeyes (9-5, 1-2 Big Ten) are capable, as a 20-point win over Kentucky would attest, but they’ve been a bit of a up & down yo-yo.
To wit.
OSU opened the season with a nice win vs. Texas, lost at home to Pitt, lost @ Maryland by 24, lost to Auburn by 38, thumped Kentucky, then last night (Friday) dropped its second home game (Michigan State) of the season. The Gophers should have a decent chance to muck it up effectively vs. the Buckeyes, keep it close, then pull one out at the end. Let’s go with Gophers win it by keeping the game in the 60s. (note: if you “get” my “just like a yo-yo” reference, you’re likely old and a 70’s music savant like me)
The Unconquered 3 (It Just Means More)
#2 Tennessee (13-0)
#4 Florida (13-0)
#42 Oklahoma (13-0)
Heart of the Bubblicious (NET #45-55)
#45 Northwestern (OUT)
#46 North Carolina (OUT)
#47 Missouri (IN)
#48 San Diego State (IN)
#49 Saint Mary’s (OUT)
#50 Louisville (IN)
#51 Boise State (IN)
#52 LSU (OUT)
#53 Saint Bonaventure (IN)
#54 Arizona State (OUT)
#55 Iowa (OUT)
POWER 5 HEAD-TO-HEAD (+ Gonzaga/Saint Mary’s/San Diego State)
1 SEC (60-19, 75.9%)
2 Gonzaga/Saint Mary’s/San Diego State (10-7, 58.8%)
3 Big Ten (33-26, 55.9%)
4 Big East (19-24, 44.2%)
5 Big XII (25-34, 42.4%)
6 ACC (16-53, 23.2%)
Power 5 Teams Non-Conference Record vs. Power 5 (final, except for Duke vs. Illinois on Feb. 22)
6-0: Oklahoma, Tennessee
5-0: Florida
4-0: Oregon, Vanderbilt
5-1: Auburn
4-1: Marquette, Wisconsin
6-2: Texas A&M
3-1: Georgia, Iowa State, Mississippi State, Saint Mary’s, UConn
5-2: Alabama
4-2: Kansas
2-1: Cincinnati, Clemson, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, UCLA
3-2: Butler, Kentucky, LSU, Pitt, San Diego State, South Carolina, West Virginia
4-4: Gonzaga
3-3: Michigan, Purdue
2-2: Arkansas, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Rutgers, Saint John’s, Texas
1-1: Iowa, Nebraska, Penn State
2-3: Baylor, Houston, Ohio State, Wake Forest, Xavier
2-4: Creighton, Louisville
1-2: Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, Georgetown, Providence, SMU, TCU, UCF, Villanova
1-3: Cal, Virginia
1-4: Notre Dame
1-5: North Carolina
0-1: Boston College, Minnesota, Stanford
0-2: DePaul, Florida State, Kansas State, USC
0-3: Miami, Seton Hall, Utah
0-4: Georgia Tech, NC State, Virginia Tech
0-5: Arizona, Syracuse
THE LOCAL NET”ters”
#97 St. Thomas (8-5 vs. D1, 1-0 Summit League)
#165 Minnesota (8-6, 0-3 Big Ten)
St. Thomas Week Ahead
Saturday: @ #302 North Dakota
Wednesday: Host #112 South Dakota State
Jan. 11: Host #235 South Dakota
Tommies Stat Leaders
Miles Barnstable (13.7 points per game), Kendall Blue (4.1 rebounds per game), Drake Dobbs (3.5 assists per game), Barnstable (1.2 steals per game), Dobbs (55 3PFG%), Nolan Minessale (.9 blocks per game)
Tommies (D1) Non-Conference D1 Opponents (#282 non-conference SOS)
Arizona State (9-3)
Oklahoma State (8-4)
Milwaukee (8-5)
UC-Riverside (8-5)
Northern Colorado (6-5)
Portland State (5-5)
Montana (5-6)
Wofford (4-8)
Bowling Green (3-8)
Western Michigan (2-9)
Green Bay (2-13)
Chicago State (1-15)
Totals: (61-86, 41.5%)
Minnesota Week Ahead
Monday: Host #27 Ohio State
Friday: @ #25 Wisconsin
Gophers Stat Leaders
Dawson Garcia (19.1 points per game), Garcia (7.2 rebounds per game), Lu’Cye Patterson (3.9 assists per game), Femi Odukale (1.8 steals per game), Mike Mitchell Jr. (41.94 3PFG%), Odukale (1.4 blocks per game)
Gophers Non-Conference D1 Opponents (#354 non-conference SOS)
Wake Forest (10-4)
North Texas (8-3)
Wichita State (9-4)
Cleveland State (6-6)
Yale (6-6)
Omaha (5-9)
Bethune-Cookman (3-10)
Central Michigan (2-6)
Morgan State (2-10)
Oral Roberts (1-8)
Fairleigh Dickinson (1-11)
Totals: (53-77, 40.8%)
B1G Tenuous Trio – falling short of Weakling Wednesday?
The 3 Big Ten teams tracking toward an early end to their 2024-25 season (no invitation to Indianapolis & the Big Ten Tournament):
#16 Rutgers (8-6, 1-2)
#17 Washington (10-4, 1-2)
#18 Minnesota (8-6, 0-3)
NET Kings
#1 Auburn (12-1)
Kinda’ Bubble Cutline
#50 Louisville (9-5)
Stuck in the Middle with You
#182 Longwood (8-5)
Bottom of the Barrel
#364 Mississippi Valley State (0-11)
WEEKEND AHEAD (games to watch Saturday, Jan. 4 & Sunday, Jan. 5)
Saturday
Florida @ Kentucky, 10 (ESPN)
Georgia @ Ole Miss, 11 (SECN)
Arkansas @ Tennessee, 12 (ESPN)
Baylor @ Iowa State, 1 (CBS)
UCLA @ Nebraska, 1 (FOX)
St. Thomas @ North Dakota, 1
Duke @ SMU, 1:15 (CWN)
Missouri @ Auburn, 3 (SECN)
San Diego State @ Boise State, 3 (CBS)
Oklahoma @ Alabama, 5 (SECN)
San Francisco @ Washington State, 6 (ESPN+)
Texas @ Texas A&M, 7 (SECN)
Michigan @ USC, 7 (FOX)
UC-Riverside @ UC-Irvine, 9 (ESPN+)
Sunday
Indiana @ Penn State, 11 (BTN)
Northwestern @ Purdue, 1 (BTN)
Kansas @ UCF, 3 (ESPN+)
Maryland @ Oregon, 3 (Peacock)
Illinois @ Washington, 3 (BTN)
North Texas @ Memphis, 4 (ESPN)
Preseason Final 4: Alabama, Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa State (national champ = Gonzaga)
Next Road to Selection Sunday/Field of 68: Late Sunday, January 12
