Some teams to watch as Selection Sunday approaches. Hopefully, there will be some additions to the list:

......................................................................................................

Loyola-Chicago (21-4; #16 NET; Massey Composite: #25; Q1/Q2: 3-4)

Loyola is currently projected as an 8 seed by bracketmatrix.com, but their Head Coach Porter Mosser led them to the 2018 Final Four (32-6). They may be able to give the #1 team a run for their money in their regional final.

......................................................................................................

BYU (19-5; #19 NET; Massey Composite: #17; Q1/Q2: 8-5)

The Cougars have won 14 of their last 17 games and have been climbing steadily in the rankings. They're currently projected as a 7 seed by bracketmatrix.com, but with a #19 NET, could get up to a 5 seed).

......................................................................................................

San Diego State (18-4; #17 NET; Massey Composite: #14; Q1/Q2: 6-4)

The Aztecs are currently on a 10-game winning streak, have won 14 of their last 17 games, swept their series with (#34) Boise St., and have been climbing steadily in the rankings. They've been highly competitive (6-2) in their road games, only losing @ #48 Utah State, offsetting those losses with impressive wins vs. (#38) UCLA and (#40) CSU.

They're currently projected as a 8 seed by bracketmatrix.com, but could move up higher in the seedings with their #17 (and rising) NET).

......................................................................................................

Boise St. (17-5; #34 NET; Massey Composite: #43; Q1/Q2: 4-6)

The Broncos have been a major surprise to a lot of people this season. After a loss @ Houston in game 1, they won the next 12 games in a row. They have four impressive wins under their belt, winning two tough away games @ (#19) BYU and (#40) Colorado State, in addition to sweeping a series with (#48) Utah State.

They're projected as an 11 seed by bracketmatrix.com, but might be able to present quite a challenge to a 6 seed in the tournament.

......................................................................................................

St. Bonaventure (13-4; #32 NET; Massey Composite: #33; Q1/Q2: 4-3)

The Bonnies have been on a hot streak for much of the season, winning 10 of their 12 most recent games - - losing only @ (#37) VCU and @ (#43) St. Louis - - before dropping their last game to Dayton. They've swept their series with (#71) Davidson, and are one of the few A-10 teams that have defeated #37 VCU.

They're projected as a #10 seed, but could be a tough out in the early rounds of the tournament.

......................................................................................................

St. Louis (13-5; #43 NET; Massey Composite: #54; Q1/Q2: 4-3)

The Billikens fortunes have been on somewhat of a roller coaster ride in recent weeks, with losses @ (#37) VCU (by 2 pts), (#70) Minnesota, and (#86) Dayton, but they have also had some compelling wins this season vs. (#29) LSU, (#32) St. Bonaventure, (#64) Richmond, and (#75) NC State.

St. Louis is currently projected to be a middle-of-the-pack NIT team by bracketmatrix, but their NET rank has just moved up 7 notches to #43, and they've shown the potential ability to beat the top teams in the conference during the A-10 tournament, so almost anything might be possible for the Billikens this month.

......................................................................................................

Western Kentucky (17-5; #78 NET; Massey Comp: #70; Q1/Q2: 4-4)

The Hilltoppers are on a hot streak, having won 8 of their last 9 games. While they lost a blow-out @ (#4) Houston, that loss was offset by a win @ (#7) Alabama earlier in the season. They've also beaten #59 Memphis (@ Memphis) and #72 Louisiana Tech, and swept their series with #76 Marshall.

According to bracketmatrix.com, WKU would be a likely 12 seed in the NCAA, but their first game in the tournament could be a classic 12-5 match-up.

......................................................................................................

Dayton (13-8; #86 NET; Massey Composite: #83; Q1/Q2: 3-4)

The Flyers have just won an impressive away game @ (#28) St. Bonaventure, and they have also won a number of other tough away games this season, beating (#60) Mississippi, (#80) Mississippi State, and (#71) Davidson on their home courts, and sweeping their series with (#43) St. Louis.

They're not currently projected to make the NCAA field at bracketmatrix.com, but might be a dark horse team to watch in the A-10 tournament. The NIT may be within reach, as well, if they are able to either beat VCU in their final home game of the season or advance to the A-10 tournament finals.

......................................................................................................

Whoever thinks Boise was a major surprise doesn't read Coach P.

(03-02-2021 09:52 AM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  

a penny for your thoughts...?

(03-02-2021 10:11 AM)jedclampett Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 09:52 AM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  

a penny for your thoughts...?

A penny isn't enough to get you into the tourney ....

(03-02-2021 08:56 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Whoever thinks Boise was a major surprise doesn't read Coach P.

Im having a hard time seeing how Boise St is in good position. Win at BYU is pretty good but the rest of their resume is a whole lot of nothing plus 2 Ls against a not very good Nevada team. Dont really see how their resume is better than any of the AAC bubble contenders

(03-02-2021 08:56 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Whoever thinks Boise was a major surprise doesn't read Coach P.

Leon Rice has ran a very solid, if not spectacular, program at Boise. They've never had a breakthrough season, but he's on his way to his 9th 20-win season in 11 years.

Has nothing to do with our teams, but Baylor and West Virginia just started the 2nd half on ESPN. Figured I would mention it since a lot of folks likely aren't aware due to the odd start time. Very good game so far... tied at 43 with about 16 minutes remaining.

(03-02-2021 06:01 PM)tkgrrett Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 08:56 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Whoever thinks Boise was a major surprise doesn't read Coach P.

Im having a hard time seeing how Boise St is in good position. Win at BYU is pretty good but the rest of their resume is a whole lot of nothing plus 2 Ls against a not very good Nevada team. Dont really see how their resume is better than any of the AAC bubble contenders

this year has shown that NET rankings is heavily weighted by performance

memphis is barely beating teams, Wichita was barely beating teams.... when Boise wins they win big, when the lose they lose close

on paper wku shouldnt have dropped at all from losing to houston... playing the #4 net team at their place shouldnt have been a net drop..and playing fiu at home shouldn't be a boost... they dropped 7 spots from the houston loss.. and gained 8 spots back from blowing out fiu at home twice in back to backs

also @ colorado state is great win

(03-02-2021 06:25 PM)pesik Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 06:01 PM)tkgrrett Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 08:56 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Whoever thinks Boise was a major surprise doesn't read Coach P.

Im having a hard time seeing how Boise St is in good position. Win at BYU is pretty good but the rest of their resume is a whole lot of nothing plus 2 Ls against a not very good Nevada team. Dont really see how their resume is better than any of the AAC bubble contenders

this year has shown that NET rankings is heavily weighted by performance

memphis is barely beating teams, Wichita was barely beating teams.... when Boise wins they win big, when the lose they lose close

on paper wku shouldnt have dropped at all from losing to houston... playing the #4 net team at their place shouldnt have been a net drop..and playing fiu at home shouldn't be a boost... they dropped 7 spots from the houston loss.. and gained 8 spots back from blowing out fiu at home twice in back to backs

also @ colorado state is great win

Something in the NET formula has given the MWC a weird feedback loop built around San Diego State. None of their bubble/at-large teams have independently good resumes. It seems like their NET rankings are all built around beating a team that beat SD St and not losing to the very bottom of the league.

Look at Colorado States results on its own and nothing about its resume screams top 50 team.

(03-02-2021 10:11 AM)jedclampett Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 09:52 AM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  

a penny for your thoughts...?

I don't think the Patriot League should be more than a one-bid league.

I've posted in other threads that the NET love for Colgate is a head-scratcher. Patriot League decided against out of conference play, but made exceptions for Navy and Army given the unique missions of the academies (this goes back to last year, including for instance Navy and Army getting in a couple fall soccer games).
So how is Colgate beating up on Patriot League only -- granted a handful of big margin of victory wins -- top-ten-worthy? Navy went out of conference winning over MtStMary's, George Washington, and @Georgetown and losing (big) at Maryland. Yes, GWU and GU have underperformed, but I will revel in winning at Georgetown for a while. RPI has Colgate and Navy adjacent, but NET has a 75-spot difference? Crazy.
I've also posted in other threads that it sucks big time that Navy has a chance to be a regular season champ, but if we lose to Colgate on our home court, with a high RPI ranking thanks to that ooc...and zippo for NIT. Sucks.

The PL season has been weird. Choosing to minimize travel for COVID safety, we established three mini-conferences. There has been some cross-division play (Navy got to win a Star vs Army) but it set up for tournament games to be the first time teams saw each other. If we see Colgate it will be the first matchup. If #1 Navy got to see #8 Holy Cross, it would have been the first matchup; HC tapped out for COVID so instead we'll see Loyola for the third time in seven days.
That's the other aspect - those mini-conference schedules delivered Sat-Sun, back-to-back, Home-Away series for the majority of the season. One reason Navy won out was that that set up rewarded depth and conditioning and we got it done...now the campus-site tournament will turn that on its head.
Tournament for Navy could end up againt Loyola with the probable conference player of the year, with only a short bus ride for the visitors, without a bye advantage (since HC gave them a full week off); if we get past that, then either arch-rival Army or short-trip American on three-days' rest, then NET #9 Colgate with more travel for the visitors but still getting three days' rest.

I think we could win those three...but our Captain, our big man, and our HC all missed last weekend's games, so...we could lose any of those three...and abruptly be done where any other year we'd have at least had an NIT.

Boise St with a bad, bad loss to Fresno st. Potential bubble burster barring a conf tourney run.

And xavier with a bad L to Georgetown

(03-02-2021 09:43 PM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 10:11 AM)jedclampett Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 09:52 AM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  

a penny for your thoughts...?

I don't think the Patriot League should be more than a one-bid league.

I've posted in other threads that the NET love for Colgate is a head-scratcher. Patriot League decided against out of conference play, but made exceptions for Navy and Army given the unique missions of the academies (this goes back to last year, including for instance Navy and Army getting in a couple fall soccer games).
So how is Colgate beating up on Patriot League only -- granted a handful of big margin of victory wins -- top-ten-worthy? Navy went out of conference winning over MtStMary's, George Washington, and @Georgetown and losing (big) at Maryland. Yes, GWU and GU have underperformed, but I will revel in winning at Georgetown for a while. RPI has Colgate and Navy adjacent, but NET has a 75-spot difference? Crazy.
I've also posted in other threads that it sucks big time that Navy has a chance to be a regular season champ, but if we lose to Colgate on our home court, with a high RPI ranking thanks to that ooc...and zippo for NIT. Sucks.

The PL season has been weird. Choosing to minimize travel for COVID safety, we established three mini-conferences. There has been some cross-division play (Navy got to win a Star vs Army) but it set up for tournament games to be the first time teams saw each other. If we see Colgate it will be the first matchup. If #1 Navy got to see #8 Holy Cross, it would have been the first matchup; HC tapped out for COVID so instead we'll see Loyola for the third time in seven days.
That's the other aspect - those mini-conference schedules delivered Sat-Sun, back-to-back, Home-Away series for the majority of the season. One reason Navy won out was that that set up rewarded depth and conditioning and we got it done...now the campus-site tournament will turn that on its head.
Tournament for Navy could end up againt Loyola with the probable conference player of the year, with only a short bus ride for the visitors, without a bye advantage (since HC gave them a full week off); if we get past that, then either arch-rival Army or short-trip American on three-days' rest, then NET #9 Colgate with more travel for the visitors but still getting three days' rest.

I think we could win those three...but our Captain, our big man, and our HC all missed last weekend's games, so...we could lose any of those three...and abruptly be done where any other year we'd have at least had an NIT.

Understood, but there is another angle to consider.

Whatever the rules that guide the selection committee are - - and regardless of their pros and cons - - the rules are the rules, and it's only fair if they are applied irregardless of specific teams or conferences.

If Navy were to beat Colgate in the conference tournament, it would be a violation of the rules if the selection committee were to exclude Colgate or to arbitrarily cut their NET rank by some huge number simply to keep them out of the NCAA tournament.

It might not be the best possible tournament field, but there are always teams that shouldn't be in the tournament, but are, and they're usually poor A5 teams with a record just barely above .500. That's not fair at all, and so it's probably a very good thing to have a couple of minor conferences over-represented periodically, if only to maintain some semblance of equality of opportunity.

Besides, basketball fans would love to see Navy in the tournament for the first time since "The Admiral" years!

(03-02-2021 06:25 PM)pesik Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 06:01 PM)tkgrrett Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 08:56 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Whoever thinks Boise was a major surprise doesn't read Coach P.

Im having a hard time seeing how Boise St is in good position. Win at BYU is pretty good but the rest of their resume is a whole lot of nothing plus 2 Ls against a not very good Nevada team. Dont really see how their resume is better than any of the AAC bubble contenders

this year has shown that NET rankings is heavily weighted by performance

memphis is barely beating teams, Wichita was barely beating teams.... when Boise wins they win big, when the lose they lose close

on paper wku shouldnt have dropped at all from losing to houston... playing the #4 net team at their place shouldnt have been a net drop..and playing fiu at home shouldn't be a boost... they dropped 7 spots from the houston loss.. and gained 8 spots back from blowing out fiu at home twice in back to backs

also @ colorado state is great win

Barely beating teams? What are talking about? Wichita is plus 21 and we're plus 117. You're linking us together? Stop with the trolling *******.

(03-02-2021 10:57 PM)tkgrrett Wrote:  Boise St with a bad, bad loss to Fresno st. Potential bubble burster barring a conf tourney run.

And xavier with a bad L to Georgetown

Wow! These kinds of upsets are so baffling when the higher seeded team has such a strong incentive to win...and yet they happen every year around this time.

You're right (at least, based on the bracketmatrix.com projections that they would be 11 seeds) these losses could knock both Xavier and Boise out of the tournament field.

Boise has dropped from #34 to #43 in the NET. Xavier has dropped from #50 to #53. Their projected seeds will drop somewhat at bracketmatrix.com, and they were already too close for comfort to being among the "last four in."

This should give a boost to the other mid-bubble teams, such as CSU (#39), Wichita State (#66), Drake (#41), GT (#40), and Seton Hall (#52), which had been seeded right behind Xavier & Boise St.

It could also give a boost to teams like (#54) SMU, (#55) Syracuse, and (#56 Memphis).

(03-03-2021 01:08 AM)Memphis Yankee Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 06:25 PM)pesik Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 06:01 PM)tkgrrett Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 08:56 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Whoever thinks Boise was a major surprise doesn't read Coach P.

Im having a hard time seeing how Boise St is in good position. Win at BYU is pretty good but the rest of their resume is a whole lot of nothing plus 2 Ls against a not very good Nevada team. Dont really see how their resume is better than any of the AAC bubble contenders

this year has shown that NET rankings is heavily weighted by performance

memphis is barely beating teams, Wichita was barely beating teams.... when Boise wins they win big, when the lose they lose close

on paper wku shouldnt have dropped at all from losing to houston... playing the #4 net team at their place shouldnt have been a net drop..and playing fiu at home shouldn't be a boost... they dropped 7 spots from the houston loss.. and gained 8 spots back from blowing out fiu at home twice in back to backs

also @ colorado state is great win

Barely beating teams? What are talking about? Wichita is plus 21 and we're plus 117. You're linking us together? Stop with the trolling *******.

we are talking about the NET...

1) i wasnt lumping you together saying you both hadnt been winning by a large enough percent... let me put it in very simple terms so you can understand ---if I say you need 400 coins, and someone has 250 coins, and another has 10 coins.. saying both of you dont have enough is not saying you guys are the same

2) you used total stats saying you +121 on the season and wichita is +21 knowing there is a disparity in the amount of games is manipulation, use averages.. memphis +10 , wichita is +4 per game, for the season...the gap is way closer in just conference games (comparison houston is +20 on a harder schedule than both of you)

your post are actually the trolls

-- i say the net doesnt love memphis and wichita (in comparison to mwc teams) because those 2 are playing to many close games ... you attack me when its just a factual statement

-- i say its to early to tell if penny will be a great or bad coach-- factual statement-- you attack again

(03-03-2021 12:51 AM)jedclampett Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 09:43 PM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 10:11 AM)jedclampett Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 09:52 AM)slhNavy91 Wrote:  

a penny for your thoughts...?

I don't think the Patriot League should be more than a one-bid league.

I've posted in other threads that the NET love for Colgate is a head-scratcher. Patriot League decided against out of conference play, but made exceptions for Navy and Army given the unique missions of the academies (this goes back to last year, including for instance Navy and Army getting in a couple fall soccer games).
So how is Colgate beating up on Patriot League only -- granted a handful of big margin of victory wins -- top-ten-worthy? Navy went out of conference winning over MtStMary's, George Washington, and @Georgetown and losing (big) at Maryland. Yes, GWU and GU have underperformed, but I will revel in winning at Georgetown for a while. RPI has Colgate and Navy adjacent, but NET has a 75-spot difference? Crazy.
I've also posted in other threads that it sucks big time that Navy has a chance to be a regular season champ, but if we lose to Colgate on our home court, with a high RPI ranking thanks to that ooc...and zippo for NIT. Sucks.

The PL season has been weird. Choosing to minimize travel for COVID safety, we established three mini-conferences. There has been some cross-division play (Navy got to win a Star vs Army) but it set up for tournament games to be the first time teams saw each other. If we see Colgate it will be the first matchup. If #1 Navy got to see #8 Holy Cross, it would have been the first matchup; HC tapped out for COVID so instead we'll see Loyola for the third time in seven days.
That's the other aspect - those mini-conference schedules delivered Sat-Sun, back-to-back, Home-Away series for the majority of the season. One reason Navy won out was that that set up rewarded depth and conditioning and we got it done...now the campus-site tournament will turn that on its head.
Tournament for Navy could end up againt Loyola with the probable conference player of the year, with only a short bus ride for the visitors, without a bye advantage (since HC gave them a full week off); if we get past that, then either arch-rival Army or short-trip American on three-days' rest, then NET #9 Colgate with more travel for the visitors but still getting three days' rest.

I think we could win those three...but our Captain, our big man, and our HC all missed last weekend's games, so...we could lose any of those three...and abruptly be done where any other year we'd have at least had an NIT.

Understood, but there is another angle to consider.

Whatever the rules that guide the selection committee are - - and regardless of their pros and cons - - the rules are the rules, and it's only fair if they are applied irregardless of specific teams or conferences.

If Navy were to beat Colgate in the conference tournament, it would be a violation of the rules if the selection committee were to exclude Colgate or to arbitrarily cut their NET rank by some huge number simply to keep them out of the NCAA tournament.

It might not be the best possible tournament field, but there are always teams that shouldn't be in the tournament, but are, and they're usually poor A5 teams with a record just barely above .500. That's not fair at all, and so it's probably a very good thing to have a couple of minor conferences over-represented periodically, if only to maintain some semblance of equality of opportunity.

Besides, basketball fans would love to see Navy in the tournament for the first time since "The Admiral" years!

Navy has been tbe Patriot League rep in the ncaa tournament three times since David Robinson graduated.

(03-03-2021 01:34 AM)pesik Wrote:  

(03-03-2021 01:08 AM)Memphis Yankee Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 06:25 PM)pesik Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 06:01 PM)tkgrrett Wrote:  

(03-02-2021 08:56 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Whoever thinks Boise was a major surprise doesn't read Coach P.

Im having a hard time seeing how Boise St is in good position. Win at BYU is pretty good but the rest of their resume is a whole lot of nothing plus 2 Ls against a not very good Nevada team. Dont really see how their resume is better than any of the AAC bubble contenders

this year has shown that NET rankings is heavily weighted by performance

memphis is barely beating teams, Wichita was barely beating teams.... when Boise wins they win big, when the lose they lose close

on paper wku shouldnt have dropped at all from losing to houston... playing the #4 net team at their place shouldnt have been a net drop..and playing fiu at home shouldn't be a boost... they dropped 7 spots from the houston loss.. and gained 8 spots back from blowing out fiu at home twice in back to backs

also @ colorado state is great win

Barely beating teams? What are talking about? Wichita is plus 21 and we're plus 117. You're linking us together? Stop with the trolling *******.

we are talking about the NET...

1) i wasnt lumping you together saying you both hadnt been winning by a large enough percent... let me put it in very simple terms so you can understand ---if I say you need 400 coins, and someone has 250 coins, and another has 10 coins.. saying both of you dont have enough is not saying you guys are the same

2) you used total stats saying you +121 on the season and wichita is +21 knowing there is a disparity in the amount of games is manipulation, use averages.. memphis +10 , wichita is +4 per game, for the season...the gap is way closer in just conference games (comparison houston is +20 on a harder schedule than both of you)

your post are actually the trolls

-- i say the net doesnt love memphis and wichita (in comparison to mwc teams) because those 2 are playing to many close games ... you attack me when its just a factual statement

-- i say its to early to tell if penny will be a great or bad coach-- factual statement-- you attack again

I don't know, P. We've had a few close wins, but a lot of blowouts, too. Wins were by 17, 29, 17, 37, 6, 1, 20, 27, 4, 27, 14, 7, 15, 6 and 21.

And 5 of our 6 losses were by single digits.

After the USF win, we are now 9-9 against the spread.

https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/memphi...-3-2-2021/

I think that's not necessarily the real reason, although since we don't know the formula, it's hard to tell, either way.

I think it's much more that we lost 5 games we were favored to win, than it is point spread in our wins. And ZERO signature wins. I just don't think our situation and the Wheaters are that similar.

(03-03-2021 05:58 AM)TripleA Wrote:  I don't know, P. We've had a few close wins, but a lot of blowouts, too. Wins were by 17, 29, 17, 37, 6, 1, 20, 27, 4, 27, 14, 7, 15, 6 and 21.

And 5 of our 6 losses were by single digits.

After the USF win, we are now 9-9 against the spread.

https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/memphi...-3-2-2021/

I think that's not necessarily the real reason, although since we don't know the formula, it's hard to tell, either way.

I think it's much more that we lost 5 games we were favored to win, than it is point spread in our wins. And ZERO signature wins. I just don't think our situation and the Wheaters are that similar.

remove the extremely terrible ooc wins, which would be countered by a huge sos hit and this comment was made before the usf game

6, 1, 20, 27, 4, 27, 14, 7, 15, 6 ... this isnt huge seperation compared to others with better nets, some of who also likely had better schedules

Anybody think of any other "teams to watch" as we approach conference tournament play?

......................................................................................................

Loyola-Chicago (21-4; #18 NET; Massey Composite: #24; Q1/Q2: 5-4)

Loyola is currently projected as an 8 seed by bracketmatrix.com, but their Head Coach Porter Mosser led them to the 2018 Final Four (32-6). They may be able to give the #1 team a run for their money in their regional final.

......................................................................................................

BYU (19-5; #19 NET; Massey Composite: #17; Q1/Q2: 8-5)

The Cougars have won 14 of their last 17 games and have been climbing steadily in the rankings. They're currently projected as a 7 seed by bracketmatrix.com, but with a #19 NET, could get up to a 5 seed).

......................................................................................................

San Diego State (19-4; #17 NET; Massey Composite: #14; Q1/Q2: 6-4)

The Aztecs are currently on a 10-game winning streak, have won 14 of their last 17 games, swept their series with (#34) Boise St., and have been climbing steadily in the rankings. They've been highly competitive (6-2) in their road games, only losing @ #48 Utah State, offsetting those losses with impressive wins vs. (#38) UCLA and (#40) CSU.

They're currently projected as a 8 seed by bracketmatrix.com, but could move up higher in the seedings with their #17 (and rising) NET).

......................................................................................................

St. Bonaventure (13-4; #32 NET; Massey Composite: #34; Q1/Q2: 4-3)

The Bonnies have been on a hot streak for much of the season, winning 10 of their 12 most recent games - - losing only @ (#37) VCU and @ (#43) St. Louis - - before dropping their last game to Dayton. They've swept their series with (#71) Davidson, and are one of the few A-10 teams that have defeated #37 VCU.

They're projected as a #10 seed, but could be a tough out in the early rounds of the tournament.

......................................................................................................

St. Louis (13-5; #43 NET; Massey Composite: #54; Q1/Q2: 4-3)

The Billikens fortunes have been on somewhat of a roller coaster ride in recent weeks, with losses @ (#37) VCU (by 2 pts), (#70) Minnesota, and (#86) Dayton, but they have also had some compelling wins this season vs. (#29) LSU, (#32) St. Bonaventure, (#64) Richmond, and (#75) NC State.

St. Louis is currently projected to be a middle-of-the-pack NIT team by bracketmatrix, but their NET rank has just moved up 7 notches to #43, and they've shown the potential ability to beat the top teams in the conference during the A-10 tournament, so almost anything might be possible for the Billikens this month.

......................................................................................................

Western Kentucky (17-5; #77 NET; Massey Comp: #68; Q1/Q2: 4-4)

The Hilltoppers are on a hot streak, having won 8 of their last 9 games. While they lost a blow-out @ (#4) Houston, that loss was offset by a win @ (#7) Alabama earlier in the season. They've also beaten #59 Memphis (@ Memphis) and #72 Louisiana Tech, and swept their series with #76 Marshall.

According to bracketmatrix.com, WKU would be a likely 12 seed in the NCAA, but their first game in the tournament could be a classic 12-5 match-up.

......................................................................................................

Dayton (13-8; #86 NET; Massey Composite: #83; Q1/Q2: 6-4)

The Flyers have just won an impressive away game @ (#28) St. Bonaventure, and they have also won a number of other tough away games this season, beating (#60) Mississippi, (#80) Mississippi State, and (#71) Davidson on their home courts, and sweeping their series with (#43) St. Louis.

They're not currently projected to make the NCAA field at bracketmatrix.com, but might be a dark horse team to watch in the A-10 tournament. The NIT may be within reach, as well, if they are able to either beat VCU in their final home game of the season or advance to the A-10 tournament finals.

......................................................................................................