Monday, February 20, 2006

Key Games this Week

West Virginia at Syracuse (Monday)- Syracuse is coming off a nice win over Louisville and face a must-win in order to get a bid to the Tournament. West Virginia is trying to keep pace for the regular season title.
Fairleigh Dickinson at Monmouth (Monday)- FDU could clinch the Northeast Conference chamionship with a win here, while Monmouth is three games back with three games left. A win here would keep them in it.
Oklahoma at Texas Tech (Monday)- Texas Tech is trying to move towards the bubble with a late run. A win here would put them at 7-6 in the Big 12. Oklahoma has not been overly impressive at all this season, but are in position for a bid.
Boston College at Virginia (Tuesday)- Virginia is falling off the bubble, although a win here would rescue their hopes from dying completely. BC looks like a lock even without many quality wins.
Illinois at Michigan (Tuesday)- Illinois is in the thick of the Big Ten title race, while Michigan needs to win to fall out of "lock" status. They have lost four of five and are struggling.
Davidson at Georgia Southern (Tuesday)- The winner takes the Southern Conference lead and puts themsleves in a position to win the championship. Both are 9-4 in the league.
Alabama at Arkansas (Tuesday)- Two bubble teams from the SEC battle. Alabama looks pretty solid right now, although a win would clinch a bid. Arkansas needs another quality win after beating Florida over the weekend.
Lehigh at Bucknell (Wednesday)- All the talk out of the Patriot League has been about Bucknell, but Lehigh is only one game back right now. They lost by five when these two teams met last time.
Akron at Miami (Ohio) (Wednesday)- Akron is tied for first with Kent State in the MAC, while Miami (Ohio) is only one game back. The Redbirds have won seven in a row, while the Zips are 3-2 in their last five.
Tennessee at Florida (Wednesday)- Possibly the best game of the week. Florida is two games back of Tennessee in the SEC title race. The Volunteers ruined the Gators' undefeated season the first time they met.
Colorado at Nebraska (Wednesday)- Colorado needs to win a road game somewhere along the line if they want a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska still has VERY faint hopes at an at-large berth. A loss here, and they would be eliminated.
LSU at Vanderbilt (Wednesday)- Vanderbilt still has hopes at a bid to the Tournament, while LSU is tied for the overall SEC lead. A win here would be huge for Vandy's profile. LSU is pushing for a Top-4 seed in the Big Dance.
Ohio State at Michigan State (Wednesday)- Another great game this week. Both teams still hope to win the Big Ten regular season title. Seeding for both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments is on the line. OSU could use another quality road win, but MSU is very difficult to beat at the Breslin Center.
Bradley at Northern Iowa (Wednesday)- Bradley still has hopes to be another at-large bid out of the Missouri Valley Conference. Northern Iowa is one game back of the league lead. Both teams could use a win.
North Carolina at North Carolina State (Wednesday)- Intrastate rivalry. Both teams are pushing for Top-4 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, while NC State is 1.5 games ahead of UNC for second place in the conference.
Maryland at Florida State (Wednesday)- Two teams on the bubble in the ACC. Maryland is falling quickly, while Florida State is starting to get some attention around the country. They need a win here, while the Terrapins need to get back on the right track.
UTEP at Memphis (Wednesday)- Conference-USA is looking more and more like a one-bid league. A win here by UTEP, though, would put them in good shape for a bid. Memphis is in position for a #1 seed in March.
George Mason at Hofstra (Thursday)- Excellent battle in the Colonial. Hofstra is still on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, and need a win here to boost their power numbers. GMU is looking to wrap up the league title.
South Carolina at Georgia (Thursday)- Both teams really have no chance for an at-large bid, but South Carolina still has some shot. They need another road win, while Georgia is trying to improve their SEC Tourney seeding.
UNC-Wilmington at Virginia Commonwealth (Thursday)- UNCW is still only one game back of George Mason in the Colonial, while VCU is still pushing for a Top-4 seed in the conference tournament. UNCW needs a road win to boost their at-large chances.
Villanova at Cincinnati (Thursday)- Cincinnati is striving to be another at-large out of the Big East, while Villanova is hoping to keep their one-game lead over UConn in the Big East intact. In other words, a must-win for both teams.
Stanford at Washington (Thursday)- A Pac-10 battle. Washington looks to be solidly in the Tournament, but could clinch it with a W. Stanford needs a win to keep their fading at-large hopes alive. Both teams are also only one game out of first place.

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