College Hoops Wednesday

The conference tournaments really heat up today as the major conferences get into it. I'll go over last night's and today's action and go over the super important bubble games to happen today.

Last Night

Three more automatic bids were given out as Butler won the Horizon League by beating Cleveland State by 15 in what's a huge sigh of relief for the bubble teams. Oral Roberts won their 3rd straight Summit title 71-64 over IUPUI. Western Kentucky wins their first Sun Belt crown in 5 years with a 10 point win over Middle Tennessee. Coppin State and South Carolina State won first round MEAC matches, and San Jose State took the WAC play-in game. In the Big Sky semis from Portland, Northern Arizona bested Weber State and Portland State took care of Idaho State.

Conference Tournaments Today
-The A-10 Tournament starts today at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, and the first round stakes are high. Dayton needs a win over Saint Louis in the 8/9 game to advance. St Joe's plays Fordham, and the Hawks could use a win, LaSalle battles Duquesne, and Charlotte will play desperate Rhode Island.
-The Big East tournament from Madison Square Garden begins with an elimination match between Syracuse and Villanova at noon. West Virginia plays Providence, Pitt plays Cincinnati, and West Virginia battles Seton Hall. All games are on ESPN.
-The Big Sky title game goes down in Portland as the top 2 seeds will play for the title. Northern Arizona and Portland State both moved on for the right to be a 16 seed and possibly play in the opening round game.
-The Big West tournament begins in Anaheim with two matchups. UC Irvine takes on Long Beach State in the 5/8 game, and 6th seeded Cal Poly plays the 7 seed UC Riverside.
-C-USA holds its first round today from the FedEx Forum in Memphis. 5th seeded Southern Miss plays Rice, 6th seed UTEP plays SMU, 7th seeded Tulsa will play East Carolina, and Marshall plays Tulane in the 8/9 game.
-The higher seeds host first round matches from the MAC. 5th seeded Miami battles Buffalo, the 6th seed Central Michigan plays Northern Illinois, the 7 seed Eastern Michigan battles Ball State, and Toledo hosts Bowling Green in the 8/9 game.
-MEAC quarters go down today from Raleigh, except the first game is still a first round match between 6th seeded Florida A&M and Maryland-Eastern Shore. The quarterfinal matches today includes top seed Morgan State and 8th seed South Carolina State, and the 2nd seed Hampton takes on Coppin State.
-The Mountain West tourney begins today from the Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas as Wyoming plays Colorado State in the play-in game.
-At 7pm on ESPN2, the NEC championship game will pit the 3rd seed Sacred Heart against the 4th seed Mount Saint Mary's.
-Big game for Arizona as the Pac 10 tournament has first round games from the Staples Center. The Wildcats should beat Oregon State, and Washington will play Cal in the 8/9 game.
-SWAC quarterfinals begin from Birmingham as top seed Alabama State plays Texas Southern and the 2nd seed Mississippi Valley State battles Grambling State.
-WAC quarters are today from Las Cruces. Top seeded Utah State will play the 8 seed San Jose State. 2nd seeded Nevada plays Fresno State, 3rd seeded New Mexico State plays Idaho, and Boise State plays Hawaii in the 4/5 game. The top 4 teams have at large aspirations.

Wednesday's Bubble Brigade (the games involving teams fighting for a bid)
At noon on ESPN, Villanova and Syracuse will battle in an elimination game. The winner will play Georgetown and have a great opportunity to securing a tournament berth. The A-10 has Dayton needing a win over Saint Louis to stay alive. A Flyers win gives them a crack at top seed Xavier. St Joe's needs to stay alive today with a win over Fordham. At 2:30 on ESPN, West Virginia can truely secure a bid if they beat Providence, but they're pretty much in anyway. An Arizona win over Oregon State will probably get the Wildcats in, given their top ranked SOS.

College Hoops Monday

Championship Week really begins in earnest today as the countdown really heats up to Selection Sunday.

Sunday Major Conference Recap
Perry Stevenson had 18 and 10 as Kentucky dealt a huge blow to Florida's at large chances, defeating the Gators 75-70 at Rupp Arena to basically lock up a tourney bid. The Wildcats finished 12-4 in SEC play. Ohio State may have played their way into the field of 65 for now after a huge 63-54 home win over Michigan State. David Butler scored 20 for the Buckeyes. Pitt knocked DePaul out of the Big East tournament, as the Panthers took it by 19 led by 22 and 14 from DeJuan Blair. VaTech needs to now do major ACC damage after a 70-69 loss at Clemson that makes the Tigers a little more comfortable this week. Indiana's seed could hurt a bit after an OT loss at Penn State. Seton Hall now needs a miracle after a home loss to rival Rutgers. Tennessee kept its number one seed hopes intact with a win over South Carolina. Bubble teams relax, Drake got an automatic bid in the MVC. Will VCU go into the tournament as an at large? Right now Joe Lunardi has them as one of the last four out, but you never know as the week progresses. Purdue bested Michigan with a late run to avoid a badly timed loss. Texas captured the top seed in the Big 12 tournament with a win over OK State. UConn finished off a surprisingly successful regular season with a 45 point smothering of Cincinnati. Kent State kept their at large hopes alive with a win at 21 win Akron. Maryland suffered a setback in Charlottesville after a bad 15 point loss at Virginia. Gonzaga fans can rest easy after they survived Santa Clara, but San Diego may be the 3rd team in the WCC after a double OT thriller win over Saint Mary's.

Conference Tournaments Yesterday

From Binghamton, the America East has reached the final. Top seed UMBC beat Vermont and will play 2nd seeded Hartford in the ship, as Hartford bested Boston University. Richmond was upset city in the CAA semifinals. The 5th seed William & Mary shocked VCU 56-54 and will play the 3rd seeded George Mason, the Patriots knocked off 2nd seeded UNC-Wilmington. The top 2 seeds have advanced to the final in Albany for the MAAC title. Top seed Siena were 2 points better than 4th seeded Loyola, and the 2nd seed Rider survived 6th seeded Marist 76-71. In St Louis, top seeded Drake got off to a 40-19 lead and cruised to the MVC crown, 79-49 over 2nd seeded Illinois State. Road teams ruled the day in the NEC semifinals. Mount St Mary's looked impressive in their 83-65 rout of top seed Robert Morris. 2nd seeded Wagner lost to 3rd seed Sacred Heart for the 3/4 final match. Favorites took the games in the Patriot League as top seed American beat 5th seed Army 72-60. 3rd seed Colgate were 14 points better than 7th seeded Bucknell 54-40. In Charleston in the SoConn tournament, top seed Davidson advanced easily by 30 over UNC Greensboro. They'll play 7th seeded Elon who beat the College of Charleston. In Tulsa, 3rd seed Oakland and 5th seeded IPFW advanced to the Summit semis. The top 4 seeds advanced in the Sun Belt quarterfinals from Mobile as South Alabama, Arkansas-Little Rock, Western Kentucky, and Middle Tennessee all advanced. Gonzaga advanced to the WCC final with a hard fought win over Santa Clara, but the 3rd seeded home team San Diego upset 2nd seed St Mary's in 2OT to advance to the final. Will the WCC be a 3 bid league this year?

Conference Tournaments Tonight
The CAA will crown its champion this evening from Richmond as the 3rd seed George Mason faces the 5th seeded William & Mary Tribe. The game will be at 7pm on ESPN. Will VCU get an at large bid after their conference loss? If they don't there's a nice, warm spot in the NIT just for them. At that same time on ESPN2, the MAAC has its title game from Albany as Siena battles Rider in a 1-2 battle for the bid. Right after the MAAC game on ESPN2, top seed Davidson takes on the 7 seed Elon from Charleston in the SoConn title match. A Davidson loss may mean one less spot for the bubble teams. Summit semis go down in Tulsa as top seeded Oral Roberts plays the 5th seed IPFW, and IUPUI battles Oakland in the 2/3 game. Sun Belt semis are also this evening in Mobile as South Alabama takes on Middle Tennessee in the 1/4 matchup, and Arkansas-Little Rock plays Western Kentucky in the 2/3 game. Huge WCC title match from San Diego's Jenny Craig Pavillion (The Slim Gym) after the CAA crowns a champion on ESPN. Top seed Gonzaga will try to take the title, but the hometown San Diego Terreros stand in their path. The bubblers should root for the Zags.

Conference Tournament Central Thursday

There were some ridiculously good conference tournament games last night. I'll get to those along with last night's regular season games and tonight's contests with an emphasis on the bubble teams.


Conference Tournaments Last Night
-The first two quarterfinal games were played in Nashville in the Atlantic Sun yesterday, and it had the top two seeds Belmont and Jacksonville both picking up wins. The other 2 quarter games are today.
-Yesterday I said that the Patriot League games would be rediculous, and they didn't come close to disappointing. Top seed American barely edged Holy Cross, 62-60. 3rd seed Colgate squeaked by Lafayette 76-74. 5th seeded Army beat Lehigh 64-61 in OT. And then there was the 3OT thriller between 2nd seeded Navy and the 7 seed Bucknell. The Midshipmen tipped in a layup with 2 seconds left to lead 86-84. The Bucknell frantically threw the ball in, and star Guard John Griffin hit a 40 footer as time expired to win it 87-86 in 3OT for the Bison. Watch this tournament! The semis are on Sunday.
-The first round was last night in the Sun Belt, and had higher seeds Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Florida Atlantic, and New Orleans prevailing. The lone upset was the 12 seed Troy pulling a 70-60 upset at 5 seed Louisiana Lafayette. The quarters are Sunday in Mobile.

Conference Tournaments Today
-Arch Madness starts today in St Louis, as the Missouri Valley Conference gets down to business. The first round today pits Missouri State and Evansville in the 7/10 game, and Indiana State battles Wichita State in the 8/9. Quarters are tomorrow.
-The NEC starts their tournament today on campus sites. Top seeded Robert Morris hosts Monmouth, 2nd seeded Wagner hosts LIU, the 3 seed Sacred Heart plays Central Connecticut State, and Mount St Mary's plays Quinnapiac in the 4/5 game. Semis are on Sunday.
-Big South semis are today at the Justice Center in Ashville. 2nd seeded Winthrop will play the 3 seed High Point at 6, followed by top seed UNC-Ashville playing 4th seed Liberty at 8:30. Both games are on ESPNU. The final is on Saturday.


Wednesday Night Stock Market
Stock Up
Dayton, Temple, and UMASS- Their A-10 wins last night kept them in contention for an at large bid.
Miami- The 'Canes got a big win over BC last night and could be that 3rd team from the ACC.
Syracuse- The Orange eliminated Seton Hall, but will need more wins to stay on the bubble.
Kentucky- They won at South Carolina last night and 11-4 in the SEC is pretty good.
UAB- The Blazers get their 22nd win at the hands of Tulsa to stay in that at large mix.
Oklahoma- The Sooners got a big win at rival OK State for win number twenty.
Villanova- The Wildcats remain alive after beating USF.
Vanderbilt- What a gutsy, quality 86-85 OT win over Miss State.
Houston- The Cougars also got a much needed C-USA win over UCF to make them 22-7.
Tennessee- Florida started off on fire last night in Gainsville, but the Vols hung tough, and eeked out an 89-86 win for their first regular season SEC crown in 41 years.
Texas A&M- The Aggies avenged their 5OT loss to Baylor by winning at Waco.
BYU- The Cougars defeated Wyoming for the Mountain West title.
Stock Down
Seton Hall- The Pirates are done after their loss to Syracuse.
Oklahoma State- Any hope the Cowboys had are now officially lost.
Florida- The Gators played their hearts out against Tennessee, but fell short. The 21-9 Gators may still get in, but they'd be feeling a lot better coming off a win.
Baylor- Ditto Florida, the 20-9 Bears will likely still get in, but a sweep of TAMU would've been sweet.

Tonight On TV
6pm
High Point vs Winthrop- ESPNU
-The two teams look to get closer to dancing in this Big South semifinal match.
7pm
Clemson @ Georgia Tech- ESPN2
-The 21-9 Tigers can't afford the loss to the middling Yellow Jackets.
UConn @ Providence- ESPN
-The Huskies look to solidify a top Big East tonight at the Dunkin Donuts Center.
7:30pm
DePaul @ Cincinnati- Full Court
-The Blue Demons would like to make the Big East Tournament, but may not if they fall to the Bearcats.
8pm
Liberty vs UNC Ashville- ESPNU
-Kenny George and co look to reach the Big South final.
8:30pm
San Jose State @ New Mexico State- Full Court
-NMSU is still on the bubble and will be out with a loss to the Spartans.
Arizona State @ Oregon- Full Court
-It's a Pac 10 elimination game in what could be the most hostile environment in the nation.
9pm
Michigan State @ Illinois- ESPN2
-The Illini aren't very good, but it'll be a tough test for the Spartans in Champaign and the sea of orange.
Xavier @ St Joe's- ESPN
-The Hawks are square on the bubble, and a win over the Muskateers could put them in great shape. A loss may knock them off. High stakes...

Bubble Games
Two more bubble matches hit the Pac 10, as Arizona will surely be out if they loss at woeful Oregon State, and USC will suffer a tough blow if they fall at home to Cal.

NASCAR Nation

The Auto Club 500 in Fontana was pushed off to this afternoon after 87 laps of the 250 and after they tried to dry the track for 5 hours. But the rain wouldn't hold up, and it'll give me the opportunity to write this short track post. Ryan Newman was in the right place at the right time last weekend in Daytona as he got a nice push from Tony Stewart's enemy and Newman's teammate Kurt Busch for the win. Busch's brother Kyle easily had the best car at the Great American Race, but his over aggressiveness may have caused him to lose the race. It was the debuts of all the open wheelers last week, and ESPN's Terry Blount talked to SOS about how all the rookies fared:
"Hornish was great, Dario not so hot, Carpentier didn't make the race, Villeneuve is out of a ride and JPM was his usual wild self."
Sam Hornish was in the top 10 for a lot of the race in a supremely good showing for Roger Penske's Dodges, but the rest of the guys weren't so great. Jimmie Johnson was leading the race after 87, and will be in front when they restart today. ESPN's David Newton spoke to me about the race's biggest factors:
"I'll be looking to see how the Dodges do. After taking six of the top eight spots at Daytona expectations are high. But they struggled on the mile and a half to two mile tracks last year and this will be their first true test. I'll also be curious to see how Hendrick Motorsports bounces back. Other than Earnhardt Jr., it was a horrific day."
Let's hope that it turns from horrific to terrific today at 1pm eastern, 10am pacific from Fontana. Enjoy a race Monday here at NASCAR Nation...

Around The Majors Special Report

Just over two months ago, I wrote a piece on steroids and how football is getting a free pass the day after the Mitchell Report was released. In that previous article, ESPN Baseball writer Jerry Crasnick seemed substanitally peeved that the N.F.L. got somewhat of a "free pass" in the 'roids investigation:
"Sprung, Don't get me started." Crasnick said in my December, 14 article "The Steroids Saga: What About Football??" Crasnick went on to say, "I think it's ridiculous that the NFL gets such a pass. In fact, the presence of so many 350-pound behemoths dying young is way more of a health threat than steroids in baseball. It's not a health issue -- It's a matter of managing PR, and the NFL is much better than baseball at that."
I'm sure it's more than a matter of public relations, but there has to be some sort of reason why baseball is being dragged through the mud and football seems to be getting off almost scott free. People have been saying that pro football has more steroids testing and everything, but some people can't even come to admit that HGH is a huge problem in all sports, especially football. "The HGH crap, save it for a doctor." Said Scouts INC's Marwan Maalouf in my earlier piece. Can an insider like that be so naive as to say that HGH isn't a problem in football? I'd bet a large amount of money that HGH is far more of an issue in the NFL than it is in baseball. And that brings me to Yankee VP Hank Steinbrenner's comments on steroids in sports:
"Everybody that knows sports knows football is tailor-made for performance-enhancing drugs." Steinbrenner told the AP. "I don't know how they managed to skate by. It irritates me. Don't tell me it's not more prevalent. The number in football is at least twice as many. Look at the speed and size of those players."
There's no doubt in my mind that there's a PED problem in football, but N.F.L. spokesman Greg Aiello is adament that no steroids have been used in the league:
"We've had year-round random testing with immediate suspensions since 1990 and we conduct approximately 12,000 steroids tests a year."
Unfortunately for football, they have no testing for HGH. And even when people have been caught using PED's like Shawne Merriman and Rodney Harrison, not many people even batted an eyelash. But the backlash that players such as Andy Pettitte have received has been absolutely astronomical. It'd be foolish to say that some sort of double standard was not clearly in play. Floyd Reese was the GM of the Houston Oilers-Tennessee Titans franchise for 13 years and he was adament that the steroids testing has been rock solid in the game:
"I think if you look at the number of tests that players get in the NFL, it's more than for recreational drugs." Reese told SprungOnSports. "Players will get tested anywhere from 4 times a month to 15 times a month. Keep in mind, these tests go on year round. It's not something that you're going to get away with. You'll still see people get suspended and it might be because they haven't looked into what's in what they're taking." That's all well and good, but then Reese went into the HGH problem that Maalouf implied wasn't there:
"Now, HGH is something else. That's something that everyone is trying to address. I have no clue as to what percentage uses that."
But it certainly seems to be a problem that even football executives are aware of, just like baseball owners and GM's were aware of it during the early to mid 1990's. But some really wise baseball writers like ESPN's Rob Neyer is just fed up with the treatment that football gets:
"My guess is that most NFL players simply know how to beat the testing regimen. The NFL is a big fat hairy American money-making machine, and a lot of non-fans would be shocked by what's going on."
I think everyone has been shocked by the developments over the previous months, and it will continue to get worse as time goes by. But to think that it's an isolated issue in one sport is as stupid as getting injected with these steroids knowing that you run the risk of ruining your reputation. This is certainly an issue that won't be misremembered.

N.B.A. Today Deadline Countdown

Two more days until the deadline, and the Jason Kidd to Dallas deal has finally been completed, according to ESPN's Marc Stein. Kidd, bench player Malik Allen and young F Antoine Wright were sent to Dallas for rising star PG Devin Harris, the expiring contracts of DeSagana Diop, Trenton Hassell, and Keith Van Horn, young G Maurice Ager, first round picks in 2008 and 2010 and $3 million in cash. A 2nd rounder going to the Nets for Wright couldn't be worked out. SOS NBA Insider Cameron Berns talked about what Kidd will bring to the Mavericks: "Kidd will bring veteran leadership to this mavs team, and will give them a better chance to make a run for the finals, than origionally constructed."

News and Rumors
-The main rumor is not of a trade that may happen this week, but something brought up by Peter Vescey of the NY Post. He said that after last season's collapse to Golden State, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson wanted to trade Dirk Nowitzki because he wasn't the leader Johnson wanted. Avery was overruled and Dirk is still on Dallas. The Post also reports that the Nets are not likely done trading. Denver GM Kiki Vandeweghe has dangled Nene among others in trades for Jermaine O'Neal, Mike Miller, and Jamaal Tinsley among others. Denver, Cleveland, and Houston are interested in Andre Miller but the Sixers are going for quality over quantity. Boston is in front for Sam Cassell, but the Clippers will want more than a first round pick and an expiring contract. The Nuggets have no interest in either Zach Randolph or Ron Artest, but are interested in Tyronn Lue or Anthony Johnson. Isiah Thomas has been talking up Randolph and Eddy Curry in what perhaps is a desperate attempt at trying to build up their values.
-The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that the Heat could use the expiring contracts of Jason Williams and Ricky Davis for players like Mickael Pietrus, Mike Miller or Kyle Lowry but not Eddy Curry. The Heat would also like to deal Smush Parker. The Palm Beach Post suggests a sign-and-trade with Shawn Marion after the season.
-The NY Daily News reports that Isiah Thomas is denying his interest in the Indiana University job.
-The Bulls are shopping Ben Wallace and Ben Gordon, says the Chicago Tribune.
-The Houston Chronicle reports that the Rockets are trying to trade Bonzi Wells, but don't expect Artest or Mike Miller to come to the Clutch City.
-According to the Akron Beacon Journal, the Cavs are talking about Mike and Andre Miller with Ira Newble the most likely trading piece. The Medina County Gazette reports that Cleveland is after Delonte West of OKC and Jarrett Jack of Portland.
-The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Magic are looking at a backup defensive big like Kurt Thomas, Chris Wilcox, Brian Skinner, Mark Madsen, or Udonis Haslem. They could trade players like Carlos Arroyo, Maurice Evans, Pat Garrity, James Augustine or Keyon Dooling. They will not trade JJ Redick.
-The Philadelphia Daily News reports that the Sixers are shopping Gordon Giricek.
-Gerald Green, Antoine Walker, and Theo Ratliff could be traded before the deadline, says the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
-The Racine Journal Times reports that Bucks GM Ed Harris has been overruled by superiors on trades (including one for Zach Randoph) and will be fired by Milwaukee after the season.
-The Sacramento Bee reports that Denver doesn't want to move Kleiza in an Artest trade, and the Rocky Mountain News reports that the Nuggets are in play for Mike Miller and Sam Cassell.

College Hoops Tuesday

Fidel Castro is out and the tournament is inching closer, can it get any better? Well, that depends on who you like in this great sport. The AP Stock Market will be followed by a recap of last night's games, the conference leaders, and the coming week's best games.

AP Stock Market
Stock Up
Tennessee- The Vols got wins over Arkansas and Georgia to go up to 2nd in the rankings and set up this week's Memphis showdown. They play Auburn tomorrow.
UNC- A sweep of the VA teams has the Tar Heels back up to 3rd. They play at NC State before hosting giant killer Wake.
Texas- There's no denying that the Longhorns are on the rise after wins over Kansas and Baylor last week and a rout of TAMU last night. They also have to host Oklahoma this week.
Xavier- The Musks beat Charlotte last week and Rhode Island last night, but they still have to play Duquesne and Dayton this week.
Wisconsin- The Badgers beat Indiana and Minnesota last week and will be at Illinois and Ohio State this coming week.
Stock also up- UConn, Purdue, Wazzu, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Saint Mary's, Marquette.
Stock Down
Duke- The 13 point loss to Wake knocks the Blue Devils down to 5th. They'll be at Miami and will host St John's on Saturday.
Stanford- A hard fought loss to Arizona State knocks the Cardinal down 2 spots before a showdown with rival Cal.
Georgetown- They lost to Syracuse last week, but could already be on the right track after a win at Providence. They also host Cincinnati this week.
Indiana- The two point loss to Wisconsin brings them down two spots, but they can redeem themselves by beating Purdue and by winning at woeful Northwestern.
Drake- The loss at Southern Illinois also bring the Bulldogs down as well, they play Bradley before their huge game at Butler.
Stock also down- Michigan State, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Pittsburgh.

Monday Recap
18 points and 8 rebounds allowed Georgetown to come back strong with a 68-58 win at Providence. Louisville outrebounded Syracuse 53-34 and ironically had 19 offensive rebounds in a 61-50 win over an almost desperate Syracuse team that was looking to build off their win over Georgetown. The Orange had a good chance to win this game, but shot 16-55 (29%) from the field. The deeper, hungrier Cardinals fed off the Freedom Hall frenzy to take what would have been a huge Orange win away from Jim Boeheim and co. Josh Duncan had 23 points as Xavier got an enormous 81-77 win at Rhode Island that pretty much solidifies the A-10 regular season crown for the Muskateers. Parfait Bitee had 25 points and 7 assists for the Rams, who is still in good position for a bid, but they could have solidified it last night. Niagara remains in a 4 way tie atop the MAAC after a 2 point win over St Peter's. Loyola knocked off the leaders Rider to bring both teams to 11-5 in the conferece, and Siena's loss at Manhatten makes the 4 way tie. Just below the pack is Fairfield, who knocked off Marist in a 2OT thriller. Hampton is only a game back in the MEAC after a win over Winston-Salem behind Morgan State and Norfolk State who both got wins last night. It was a bad loss for St Joe's who fell 90-89 at home to Philly rival LaSalle. Austin Peay still leads the OVC by 2 games, but fell at Tennessee State last night. Texas A&M started off ice cold, Texas began white hot and the Longhorns never looked back in a 77-50 destruction of the Aggies in Austin last night in the Lone Star Showdown. DJ Augustin had 27 points and 9 assists in the win for a quickly ascending team. Saint Mary's still rules the WCC after a 100-64 rout of Pepperdine at Malibu, but Gonzaga kept pace with an impressive 4 point win at underrated San Diego.

Conference Leaders
UMBC, Xavier, Duke, Belmont, Kansas, Georgetown, Portland State, Winthrop, Purdue, CS-Northridge, VCU, Memphis, Butler, Cornell, Niagara, Kent State, Morgan State, Drake, BYU, Robert Morris, Austin Peay, UCLA, American, Tennessee, Davidson, Lamar, Alabama State, Oral Roberts, Western Kentucky, Saint Mary's, Boise State.

Games of the Week (major, mid major)
Tuesday- Purdue @ Indiana 7pm ESPN, UNC Greensboro @ Davidson 7pm ESPN2. Wednesday- UNC @ NC State 7pm ESPN, Houston @ UAB 7pm.
Thursday- Pitt @ Notre Dame 7pm ESPN, South Alabama @ Western Kentucky 8pm.
Friday- BracketBusters- Davidson @ Winthrop 7pm ESPN2, UC Santa Barbara @ Utah State 9pm ESPN2.
Saturday- Tennessee @ Memphis 9pm ESPN, Drake @ Butler 5pm ESPN2 (BB).
Sunday- Louisville @ Pitt 12pm Full Court, Wright State @ Illinois State 6:30pm ESPNU (BB). Monday- Texas @ Kansas State 9pm ESPN, San Diego @ Saint Mary's 10pm.