Big wins for teams on the right side of the bubble saw the number of at-large berths still up in the air shrink considerably as the regular season drew to a close.
A perfect storm saw Louisville upend Syracuse and punch its ticket to the dance on Saturday. While the sports book betting action favored the visitors, an upset was always on the cards as the Orange had little to play for while the Cardinals knew a win, in their last ever game at Freedom Hall, would lock up a tournament bid. The Big East sealed another bid on Saturday as Notre Dame’s overtime road win over Marquette moved the Fighting Irish to lock status for March Madness. In the ACC Virginia Tech won its win-and-your-in clash with Georgia Tech to secure an at-large bid. The picture became bleaker for other major conference teams on the bubble.
Big schools on the fringes faltered as mid-major powerhouses charged to secure bids to the tournament. UNLV’s 74-56 win over Wyoming means Vegas will have more than a sports betting interest in what happens this March. Fellow Mountain West contenders San Diego State did their chances no harm with a season ending victory over Air Force while Utah State probably has an at-large bid locked up if it doesn’t win the WAC tournament after sealing the regular season title on Saturday.
This mid-major surge was to the detriment of Florida, Mississippi State, and Illinois, the big losers of the weekend. In the SEC a late surge wasn’t enough for the Gators to beat Kentucky while Mississippi State suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Tennessee. While deep SEC tournament runs might save Florida and the Bulldogs, only the Big Ten title, and the auto bid that goes with it, can put Illinois into the dance. The Illini were routed 72-57 in Champaign by Wisconsin, all but ending the Big Ten’s shot at adding to the four bids it’s already locked up.
Not all of the mid-majors were BCS-busters, some of them were quite the opposite in fact. Cornell and Northern Iowa, who both looked in good shape for an at-large bid, secured automatic bids at the weekend to leave more room for big schools on the fringes. Gonzaga could unwittingly aid the SEC schools if they beat St Mary’s in the WCC final tonight to lock up an automatic bid. Ole Miss, who beat Arkansas at the weekend to stay in the running for an at-large bid, will join the Gators and Mississippi State in rooting for the Zags against St Mary’s in Las Vegas.
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