With USF sitting right on the bubble, we will do a daily rundown of fellow bubble teams and see who to root for each night. We will do this every night until USF is completely out of the picture or achieves lock status, whichever comes first.
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Yesterday went about as well as it could have gone. Harvard came back to beat Princeton, and even though Marquette benched three starters, they still found a way to beat West Virginia. I think Buzz Williams put it best yesterday.
TROLL SO HARD COACH.
Here are the slate of games to root for. Lot of them to get through, so let's get started. All times are EST:
LSU at Ole Miss, 1:45 PM
Who to root for: Ole Miss
While both teams are on the bubble, LSU has a better chance to receive an at-large right now. The Rebels would have to effectively win out to earn a big on Selection Sunday.
UCLA at Arizona, 2:00 PM
Who to root for: UCLA
This is one of the games you should keep an eye on. Arizona is fighting with USF for one of those last 4 spots, and a loss to the Bruins would be a real blow to their chances.
NC State at Clemson, 2:30 PM
Who to root for: Clemson
The Wolfpack are in that bunch of 10 teams looking for those last few at-large spots, and a loss to Clemson would end any chance save for a deep run in the ACC Tournament.
Boise State at Wyoming, 4:00 PM
Who to root for: Boise State
Yes, Wyoming is still on the bubble, although barely. A loss to our future conference mates will end all hope for the Cowboys.
Texas at Texas Tech, 4:00 PM
Who to root for: Texas Tech
Yes, the Red Raiders are horrible, but these are the games that Rick Barnes will screw up. Don't let us down Rick.
Rutgers at Seton Hall, 5:00 PM
Who to root for: Rutgers
While we assume you'll be watching the greatest rivalry in the Big East, a Pirates loss will cause even more chaos on the bubble, and that's always a good thing for the Bulls.
Mississippi State at Alabama, 6:00 PM
Who to root for: Alabama, but just barely
Really, this is the type of Bubble on Bubble crime we love to see. Someone's at-large chances are taking a hit tonight, and that s always a good thing.
Massachusetts at Dayton, 6:00 PM
Who to root for: N/A
This is almost an elimination game tonight in Dayton. Both are right there, and a loss will be a big blow to either the Flyers or Minutemen
George Mason at VCU, 6:00 PM
Who to root for: N/A
Both teams squarely on the bubble and on the outside looking in. One team's at-large hopes are going down in flames tonight.
Portand at BYU, 6:00 PM
Who to root for: Portland
Probably won't happen, but if the 6-win Pilots can beat BYU, the Cougars at-large chances will be on life support.
Penn at Harvard, 7:00 PM
Who to root for: Harvard
The Crimson would all but effectively seal up the Ivy League auto bid with a win today against the Quakers. That would be good news for the Bulls, as the Ivy would stay a single bid league.
Temple at St. Joesph's, 7:00 PM
Who to root for: Temple
A loss tonight would end the longshot at-large hopes of the Hawks.
UC Riverside at Long Beach State, 7:00 PM
Who to root for: UC Riverside
LBSU are feeling a little safe right now, but a loss today would put any at-large hopes on ice and would force them to win the Big West auto-bid.
Rice at Southern Miss, 8:00 PM
Who to root for: Rice
The Owls did us a favor earlier this week taking care of UCF, and a win over USM would give the Golden Eagles yet another bad loss.
Richmond at Xavier, 8:00 PM
Who to root for: Richmond
Xavier is one of the last teams in th tournament right now, and a loss to a mediocre Richmond team would probably force the Musketeers to make a deep run the A-10 Tournament.
Washington at Washington State, 8:00 PM
Who to root for: Washington State
The PAC-12 is horrible this year, and might only grab a single bid if everything falls right. This would be one of those things.
UTEP at UCF, 8:00 PM
Who to root for: UTEP
This is self-explanatory.
Stanford at Utah, 8:30 PM
Who to root for: Utah
The Cardinal are clinging onto their bleak at-large chances. A loss to the Utes would end any hope for that to happen.
Northwestern at Penn State, 9:00 PM
Who to root for: Penn State
While I'd like for Northwestern to make their first NCAA Tournament in school history, they are standing right in the way of the Bulls.
Syracuse at Connecticut, 9:00 PM
Who to root for: Syracuse
Even though Connecticut has some stellar computer numbers, they area 40 foot game winner from Shabazz Napier from being 6-9 in conference and really sweating. A win against the Orange would almost certainly put the Huskies on lock status.
Colorado State at San Diego State, 10:00 PM
Who to root for: San Diego State
The Rams are one of the last teams in the tournament, and a loss to the Aztecs will push them below the Bulls in the bubble pecking order.