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 (best conference record or – if a tie -- best NET ranking) in multiple-bid conferences are noted with a *
FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (through games played 1/19/25)
America East (1): Bryant (153)
American (1): Memphis (42)
ACC (5): *Duke (2), Louisville (29), Clemson (31), Pitt (33), North Carolina (38)
ASUN (1): Lipscomb (75) replaces Queens (196); ineligible for NCAA Tournament
Atlantic 10 (1): George Mason (82)
Big East (4): Marquette (18), *Saint John’s (25), UConn (32), Creighton (44)
Big Sky (1): Northern Colorado (131)
Big South (1): UNC-Asheville (205)
Big Ten (9): Illinois (8), Purdue (10), Michigan (12), *Michigan State (16), Wisconsin (21), Oregon (22), UCLA (34), Nebraska (49), Indiana (61)
Big XII (8): *Houston (3), Iowa State (6), Kansas (9), Arizona (14), Texas Tech (15), Baylor (28), West Virginia (30), UCF (72)
Big West (1): UC-Irvine (43)
Coastal (1): William & Mary (174)
Conference USA (1): Middle Tennessee (97)
Horizon (1): Cleveland State (176)
Ivy (1): Yale (80)
MAAC (1): Quinnipiac (166)
MAC (1): Akron (112)
MEAC (1): Howard (302)
Missouri Valley (2): Drake (63), *Bradley (65)
Mountain West (3): Utah State (41), San Diego State (45), *New Mexico (59)
NEC (1): LIU (277)
OVC (1): Morehead State (252)
Patriot (1): Colgate (217)
SEC (12): *Auburn (1), Tennessee (4), Florida (5), Alabama (7), Kentucky (11), Ole Miss (13), Mississippi State (17), Texas A&M (20), Missouri (23), Georgia (26), Vanderbilt (37), Oklahoma (50)
SoCon (1): UNC-Greensboro (101)
Southland (1): McNeese (71)
SWAC (1): Southern U (207)
Summit (1): Omaha (218) replaces St. Thomas (104); ineligible for NCAA Tournament
Sun Belt (1): South Alabama (106)
WCC (2): Gonzaga (19), *Saint Mary’s (27)
WAC (1): Utah Valley (141)
--------------------------------------
Last 4 In: North Carolina (38), Indiana (61), Drake (63), UCF (72)
First 4 Out: Maryland (24), Ohio State (36), Cincinnati (39), Texas (40)
Last 4 Automatic Qualifiers: Omaha (218), Morehead State (252), LIU (277), Howard (302)
On the Radar O’Reilly (12): SMU (35), Penn State (47), Boise State (48), Northwestern (51), North Texas (52), Xavier (54), Iowa (55), VCU (56), Santa Clara (62), Florida State (66), Dayton (74), Wake Forest (77)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (4): Gonzaga (19), Utah State (41), San Diego State (45), Drake (63)
-----------------------------------------
Heart of Bubblicious (NET #45-55)
#45 San Diego State (IN)
#46 BYU (OUT)
#47 Penn State (OUT)
#48 Boise State (OUT)
#49 Nebraska (IN)
#50 Oklahoma (IN)
#51 Northwestern (OUT)
#52 North Texas (OUT)
#53 Villanova (OUT)
#54 Xavier (OUT)
#55 Iowa (OUT)
Haslametrics Weighs In
Per Haslametrics.com, estimated score results for this week’s Minnesota & St. Thomas games:
Tuesday: Gophers @ Iowa (Hawkeyes 76.91, Gophers 69.57)
Thursday: Tommies @ Omaha (Tommies 77.23, Mavericks 74.63)
Saturday: Oregon @ Gophers (Ducks 70.2, Gophers 62.79)
Saturday: Tommies @ Kansas City (Tommies 73.68, ‘Roos 67.33)
Can the Gophers Make It to Weakling Wednesday?
I’m starting to think 5 wins might be enough for a Big Ten team(s) to sneak into the 15-team Big Ten Tournament and a spot in Weakling Wednesday (first round). If the Gophers can somehow get to 5 conference wins, I think they’ll have a shot, if a tiebreaker(s) goes their way.
Of the games left on their schedule I think the most important ones are Iowa, Washington, Penn State (x 2), USC, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Rutgers. And I won’t be surprised if Ohio State (who already beat the Gophers, sigh) fades big-time down the stretch. The Gophers will need some wins vs. that group (their most likely competition for a spot) in the event the #15 seed comes down to a head-to-head tiebreaker. Obviously, any other wins vs. the middle to upper tier would be welcomed (if not expected) to get that win total where it needs to be.
Opposite Side of the Bracket
I have not yet seen every Summit League team in person, including co-leader Omaha, but there is one thing I already know as someone who follows St. Thomas. When the Summit League Tournament starts March 5, I want North Dakota State and South Dakota State on the opposite side of the bracket. The Tommies, NDSU, and SDSU are the three teams most equipped to win 3 games in 4 days. The other side of the bracket means one (or both) will be gone by Championship Sunday.
Review This, Flagrant 1-2 That
Not joking, though I know this will never happen.
College basketball was much better off when referees simply refereed. Yes, they miss some calls, it’s called human nature. So sick of reviews, flagrant 1 this & flagrant 2 that, and players acting like they’ve been shot every time they’re touched (or not touched) in an attempt to bait officials into a march to the scorer’s table for another 10-minute review.
Let’s go back to the way it was; make the call, and let’s play ball. End-of-game stoppages are ruining a lot of really good college basketball games, and eventually will push even more people to run away from the sport. It's a disease.
Most Annoying Big Ten College Basketball Fan Base
Hands down, Illinois. Illini fans think they invented basketball. Have never won a national title despite having many, many uber-talented teams that choked in the NCAA Tournament. When I think of infamous early-round Big Ten chokes in the NCAA tourney, I think of the "ILL. ..... INI".
In fairness, one of my favorite (non-Gopher) teams of all-time is the 1989 Final Four Flying Illini team featuring Nick Anderson, Kenny Battle, Kendall Gill, Stephen Bardo, Marcus Liberty, and Lowell Hamilton. The best team I’ve ever seen that didn’t win it all.
The Local NETters
#104 St. Thomas (15-5, 5-0 Summit League)
#121 Minnesota (9-9, 1-6 Big Ten)
Big Ten +/- Power Rankings (Road Wins – Home Losses)
1 Purdue (+4)
2 Michigan State (+3)
3 Michigan (+3)
4 Illinois (+2)
5 Wisconsin (+1)
6 Indiana (+1)
7 Oregon (even)
8 UCLA (even)
9 Maryland (even) – no road wins
10 Iowa (even) – no road wins
11 Rutgers (-1)
12 USC (-1)
13 Nebraska (-1) – no road wins
14 Northwestern (-1) – no road wins
15 Ohio State (-2)
16 Penn State (-2) – no road wins
17 Minnesota (-3) – no road wins
18 Washington (-3) – no road wins
B1G Weakling Wednesday Dropouts – B1G Tournament no-shows?
** The 3 Big Ten teams tracking toward an early end to their 2024-25 season with no invitation to Indianapolis:
#16 Ohio State (2-5)
#17 Minnesota (1-6)
#18 Washington (1-6)
Gophers Week Ahead
Tuesday: @ #55 Iowa
Saturday: #22 Oregon
Gophers Stat Leaders
Dawson Garcia (19.1 points per game), Garcia (7.6 rebounds per game), Lu’Cye Patterson (3.7 assists per game), Femi Odukale (1.4 steals per game), Mike Mitchell Jr. (39.7% 3PFG), Parker Fox (1.4 blocks per game)
Gophers Non-Conference D1 Opponents (#344 non-conference SOS)
#52 North Texas (11-4)
#77 Wake Forest (14-4)
#80 Yale (8-6)
#160 Wichita State (10-7)
#176 Cleveland State (11-6)
#214 Central Michigan (4-9)
#218 Omaha (9-9)
#250 Bethune-Cookman (6-11)
#322 Fairleigh Dickinson (3-13)
#332 Oral Roberts (2-12)
#342 Morgan State (4-12)
Totals: (82-93, 46.9%)
Summit League +/- Power Rankings (Road Wins – Home Losses)
1 Omaha (+3)
2 St. Thomas (+2)
3 North Dakota State (+1)
4 South Dakota State (even) – no road wins
5 Kansas City (even) – no road wins
6 North Dakota (-1)
7 South Dakota (-1) – no road wins
8 Oral Roberts (-1) – no road wins
9 Denver (-3) – no road wins
Tommies Week Ahead
Thursday: @ #218 Omaha
Saturday: @ #233 Kansas City
Tommies Stat Leaders
Miles Barnstable (14.9 points per game), Kendall Blue (4.2 rebounds per game), Drake Dobbs (3.9 assists per game), Ryan Dufault (1 steals per game), Ben Oosterbaan (50% 3PFG), Nolan Minessale (1 blocks per game)
Tommies (D1) Non-Conference D1 Opponents (#278 non-conference SOS)
#64 Arizona State (10-7)
#109 Oklahoma State (10-7)
#127 Wofford (8-9)
#131 Northern Colorado (11-5)
#137 Milwaukee (11-7)
#165 UC-Riverside (9-8)
#213 Montana (8-8)
#215 Portland State (8-7)
#290 Bowling Green (5-10)
#291 Western Michigan (3-13)
#336 Green Bay (2-17)
#353 Chicago State (2-17)
Totals: (87-115, 43.1%)
NET Kings
#1 Auburn (17-1)
Kinda’ Bubble Cutline
#50 Oklahoma (14-4)
Stuck in the Middle with You
#182 Merrimack (9-9)
Bottom of the Barrel
#364 Mississippi Valley State (0-16)
Pick 2 A Day (games to monitor this week)
Monday
Georgetown @ Villanova, 5 (FS1)
Rutgers @ Penn State, 5:30 CT (Peacock)
Tuesday
Mississippi State @ Tennessee, 6 (ESPN2)
North Carolina @ Wake Forest, 8 (ESPN)
Wednesday
Xavier @ Saint John’s, 6 (FS1)
Texas A&M @ Ole Miss, 8 (ESPN2)
Thursday
St. Thomas @ Omaha, 7:05
Maryland @ Illinois, 8 (FS1)
Friday
Villanova @ Marquette, 6 (FS1)
Michigan @ Purdue, 7 (FOX)
Saturday
Houston @ Kansas, 5:30 (ESPN)
Tennessee @ Auburn, 7:30 (ESPN)
Next Road to Selection Sunday/Field of 68: Sunday night, January 26
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 (best conference record or – if a tie -- best NET ranking) in multiple-bid conferences are noted with a *
FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (through games played 1/19/25)
America East (1): Bryant (153)
American (1): Memphis (42)
ACC (5): *Duke (2), Louisville (29), Clemson (31), Pitt (33), North Carolina (38)
ASUN (1): Lipscomb (75) replaces Queens (196); ineligible for NCAA Tournament
Atlantic 10 (1): George Mason (82)
Big East (4): Marquette (18), *Saint John’s (25), UConn (32), Creighton (44)
Big Sky (1): Northern Colorado (131)
Big South (1): UNC-Asheville (205)
Big Ten (9): Illinois (8), Purdue (10), Michigan (12), *Michigan State (16), Wisconsin (21), Oregon (22), UCLA (34), Nebraska (49), Indiana (61)
Big XII (8): *Houston (3), Iowa State (6), Kansas (9), Arizona (14), Texas Tech (15), Baylor (28), West Virginia (30), UCF (72)
Big West (1): UC-Irvine (43)
Coastal (1): William & Mary (174)
Conference USA (1): Middle Tennessee (97)
Horizon (1): Cleveland State (176)
Ivy (1): Yale (80)
MAAC (1): Quinnipiac (166)
MAC (1): Akron (112)
MEAC (1): Howard (302)
Missouri Valley (2): Drake (63), *Bradley (65)
Mountain West (3): Utah State (41), San Diego State (45), *New Mexico (59)
NEC (1): LIU (277)
OVC (1): Morehead State (252)
Patriot (1): Colgate (217)
SEC (12): *Auburn (1), Tennessee (4), Florida (5), Alabama (7), Kentucky (11), Ole Miss (13), Mississippi State (17), Texas A&M (20), Missouri (23), Georgia (26), Vanderbilt (37), Oklahoma (50)
SoCon (1): UNC-Greensboro (101)
Southland (1): McNeese (71)
SWAC (1): Southern U (207)
Summit (1): Omaha (218) replaces St. Thomas (104); ineligible for NCAA Tournament
Sun Belt (1): South Alabama (106)
WCC (2): Gonzaga (19), *Saint Mary’s (27)
WAC (1): Utah Valley (141)
--------------------------------------
Last 4 In: North Carolina (38), Indiana (61), Drake (63), UCF (72)
First 4 Out: Maryland (24), Ohio State (36), Cincinnati (39), Texas (40)
Last 4 Automatic Qualifiers: Omaha (218), Morehead State (252), LIU (277), Howard (302)
On the Radar O’Reilly (12): SMU (35), Penn State (47), Boise State (48), Northwestern (51), North Texas (52), Xavier (54), Iowa (55), VCU (56), Santa Clara (62), Florida State (66), Dayton (74), Wake Forest (77)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (4): Gonzaga (19), Utah State (41), San Diego State (45), Drake (63)
-----------------------------------------
Heart of Bubblicious (NET #45-55)
#45 San Diego State (IN)
#46 BYU (OUT)
#47 Penn State (OUT)
#48 Boise State (OUT)
#49 Nebraska (IN)
#50 Oklahoma (IN)
#51 Northwestern (OUT)
#52 North Texas (OUT)
#53 Villanova (OUT)
#54 Xavier (OUT)
#55 Iowa (OUT)
Haslametrics Weighs In
Per Haslametrics.com, estimated score results for this week’s Minnesota & St. Thomas games:
Tuesday: Gophers @ Iowa (Hawkeyes 76.91, Gophers 69.57)
Thursday: Tommies @ Omaha (Tommies 77.23, Mavericks 74.63)
Saturday: Oregon @ Gophers (Ducks 70.2, Gophers 62.79)
Saturday: Tommies @ Kansas City (Tommies 73.68, ‘Roos 67.33)
Can the Gophers Make It to Weakling Wednesday?
I’m starting to think 5 wins might be enough for a Big Ten team(s) to sneak into the 15-team Big Ten Tournament and a spot in Weakling Wednesday (first round). If the Gophers can somehow get to 5 conference wins, I think they’ll have a shot, if a tiebreaker(s) goes their way.
Of the games left on their schedule I think the most important ones are Iowa, Washington, Penn State (x 2), USC, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Rutgers. And I won’t be surprised if Ohio State (who already beat the Gophers, sigh) fades big-time down the stretch. The Gophers will need some wins vs. that group (their most likely competition for a spot) in the event the #15 seed comes down to a head-to-head tiebreaker. Obviously, any other wins vs. the middle to upper tier would be welcomed (if not expected) to get that win total where it needs to be.
Opposite Side of the Bracket
I have not yet seen every Summit League team in person, including co-leader Omaha, but there is one thing I already know as someone who follows St. Thomas. When the Summit League Tournament starts March 5, I want North Dakota State and South Dakota State on the opposite side of the bracket. The Tommies, NDSU, and SDSU are the three teams most equipped to win 3 games in 4 days. The other side of the bracket means one (or both) will be gone by Championship Sunday.
Review This, Flagrant 1-2 That
Not joking, though I know this will never happen.
College basketball was much better off when referees simply refereed. Yes, they miss some calls, it’s called human nature. So sick of reviews, flagrant 1 this & flagrant 2 that, and players acting like they’ve been shot every time they’re touched (or not touched) in an attempt to bait officials into a march to the scorer’s table for another 10-minute review.
Let’s go back to the way it was; make the call, and let’s play ball. End-of-game stoppages are ruining a lot of really good college basketball games, and eventually will push even more people to run away from the sport. It's a disease.
Most Annoying Big Ten College Basketball Fan Base
Hands down, Illinois. Illini fans think they invented basketball. Have never won a national title despite having many, many uber-talented teams that choked in the NCAA Tournament. When I think of infamous early-round Big Ten chokes in the NCAA tourney, I think of the "ILL. ..... INI".
In fairness, one of my favorite (non-Gopher) teams of all-time is the 1989 Final Four Flying Illini team featuring Nick Anderson, Kenny Battle, Kendall Gill, Stephen Bardo, Marcus Liberty, and Lowell Hamilton. The best team I’ve ever seen that didn’t win it all.
The Local NETters
#104 St. Thomas (15-5, 5-0 Summit League)
#121 Minnesota (9-9, 1-6 Big Ten)
Big Ten +/- Power Rankings (Road Wins – Home Losses)
1 Purdue (+4)
2 Michigan State (+3)
3 Michigan (+3)
4 Illinois (+2)
5 Wisconsin (+1)
6 Indiana (+1)
7 Oregon (even)
8 UCLA (even)
9 Maryland (even) – no road wins
10 Iowa (even) – no road wins
11 Rutgers (-1)
12 USC (-1)
13 Nebraska (-1) – no road wins
14 Northwestern (-1) – no road wins
15 Ohio State (-2)
16 Penn State (-2) – no road wins
17 Minnesota (-3) – no road wins
18 Washington (-3) – no road wins
B1G Weakling Wednesday Dropouts – B1G Tournament no-shows?
** The 3 Big Ten teams tracking toward an early end to their 2024-25 season with no invitation to Indianapolis:
#16 Ohio State (2-5)
#17 Minnesota (1-6)
#18 Washington (1-6)
Gophers Week Ahead
Tuesday: @ #55 Iowa
Saturday: #22 Oregon
Gophers Stat Leaders
Dawson Garcia (19.1 points per game), Garcia (7.6 rebounds per game), Lu’Cye Patterson (3.7 assists per game), Femi Odukale (1.4 steals per game), Mike Mitchell Jr. (39.7% 3PFG), Parker Fox (1.4 blocks per game)
Gophers Non-Conference D1 Opponents (#344 non-conference SOS)
#52 North Texas (11-4)
#77 Wake Forest (14-4)
#80 Yale (8-6)
#160 Wichita State (10-7)
#176 Cleveland State (11-6)
#214 Central Michigan (4-9)
#218 Omaha (9-9)
#250 Bethune-Cookman (6-11)
#322 Fairleigh Dickinson (3-13)
#332 Oral Roberts (2-12)
#342 Morgan State (4-12)
Totals: (82-93, 46.9%)
Summit League +/- Power Rankings (Road Wins – Home Losses)
1 Omaha (+3)
2 St. Thomas (+2)
3 North Dakota State (+1)
4 South Dakota State (even) – no road wins
5 Kansas City (even) – no road wins
6 North Dakota (-1)
7 South Dakota (-1) – no road wins
8 Oral Roberts (-1) – no road wins
9 Denver (-3) – no road wins
Tommies Week Ahead
Thursday: @ #218 Omaha
Saturday: @ #233 Kansas City
Tommies Stat Leaders
Miles Barnstable (14.9 points per game), Kendall Blue (4.2 rebounds per game), Drake Dobbs (3.9 assists per game), Ryan Dufault (1 steals per game), Ben Oosterbaan (50% 3PFG), Nolan Minessale (1 blocks per game)
Tommies (D1) Non-Conference D1 Opponents (#278 non-conference SOS)
#64 Arizona State (10-7)
#109 Oklahoma State (10-7)
#127 Wofford (8-9)
#131 Northern Colorado (11-5)
#137 Milwaukee (11-7)
#165 UC-Riverside (9-8)
#213 Montana (8-8)
#215 Portland State (8-7)
#290 Bowling Green (5-10)
#291 Western Michigan (3-13)
#336 Green Bay (2-17)
#353 Chicago State (2-17)
Totals: (87-115, 43.1%)
NET Kings
#1 Auburn (17-1)
Kinda’ Bubble Cutline
#50 Oklahoma (14-4)
Stuck in the Middle with You
#182 Merrimack (9-9)
Bottom of the Barrel
#364 Mississippi Valley State (0-16)
Pick 2 A Day (games to monitor this week)
Monday
Georgetown @ Villanova, 5 (FS1)
Rutgers @ Penn State, 5:30 CT (Peacock)
Tuesday
Mississippi State @ Tennessee, 6 (ESPN2)
North Carolina @ Wake Forest, 8 (ESPN)
Wednesday
Xavier @ Saint John’s, 6 (FS1)
Texas A&M @ Ole Miss, 8 (ESPN2)
Thursday
St. Thomas @ Omaha, 7:05
Maryland @ Illinois, 8 (FS1)
Friday
Villanova @ Marquette, 6 (FS1)
Michigan @ Purdue, 7 (FOX)
Saturday
Houston @ Kansas, 5:30 (ESPN)
Tennessee @ Auburn, 7:30 (ESPN)
Next Road to Selection Sunday/Field of 68: Sunday night, January 26
