Miami and Clemson have tipped in Greensboro, which means another beautiful day is underway.
I’ll leave the less-likely-to-impact-the-field games out of here, to keep things streamlined for you, but rest assured—I’m keeping an eye on it all, and you will know what you need to know when it becomes something you need to know.
Here’s what’s up:
Clemson vs. Miami (12:00 PM Eastern)
Clemson’s right on the NIT bubble, while Miami’s trying to get themselves onto the bubble with a victory today. So far, looking better for Miami than it is for Clemson, but it isn’t exactly looking great for either, if we’re just going by aesthetics. In other words, both teams look like they’re ready for the NIT. Good stuff, guys.
NC State vs. Pitt (2:15ish PM Eastern)
Man, what a day for the ACC. We won’t be done with them after this one.
NC State’s playing for seeding today. They’re on the brink between a two and a three-seed as things currently project, so a victory would presumably help bunker them in on the two-line. That said, the risk of missing the tournament on the high end is no doubt weighing heavily on the Wolfpack psyche.
Oregon State vs. Utah (3:00 PM Eastern)
The Pac-12 Tournament tips with what might be an NIT play-in game.
It also might not be, though. Both teams could get in. Or both could stay out.
Either way, it must be treated with the seriousness that befits an NIT play-in game. Please proceed accordingly.
Arizona vs. Washington (5:30 PM Eastern)
Washington! They’re alive!
We don’t actually know if Washington’s alive. I mean, we think they’re alive. They’re playing basketball, and they’ve done a little more of the winning lately. But we just don’t know with any certainty.
Beat Arizona, and we’ll have a much better idea.
Minnesota vs. Northwestern (6:00 PM Eastern)
Minnesota is not safely in the field. With a win, they might be. But they also might not be, because they’re an unprecedented team in how their overall win-loss record compares to the rest of their résumé, and we have yet to convert an NIT Committee Member into an asset/informant.
North Carolina Central vs. Delaware State (6:00 PM Eastern)
Auto-bid alert! If NCCU goes down, they’re ours. If they stay up, they’re still possibly ours. Just the quarterfinals, everybody. Settle down.
Georgetown @ St. John’s (7:00 PM Eastern)
Another potential NIT play-in game. Georgetown’s got the same .500 thing going on as Minnesota, too, but the rest of their résumé isn’t as good as that of the Goph’s. Make of that what you will.
Notre Dame vs. Boston College (7:00 PM Eastern)
The ACC rolls on. Notre Dame isn’t safe yet, but they should be safe if they beat BC. Provided they don’t do anything reckless down the line.
Siena vs. Manhattan (7:00 PM Eastern)
Another potential automatic bid playing in a quarterfinal. This time, it’s our friends at Siena. The Saints. Playing the Jaspers.
Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State (7:00 PM Eastern)
Oklahoma State might be ok with a loss, but they shouldn’t get too comfortable, and they’d likely still prefer to climb the seed line a touch further.
Boston University @ Colgate (7:30 PM Eastern)
Last chance for Colgate’s NIT automatic bid hopes. Will those hopes be crushed for the second straight year? How many threes will they miss? Questions abound.
Indiana vs. Nebraska (8:25 PM Eastern)
The Hoosiers should be able to seal up an NIT spot with a loss. The question is if they will. The other question is if they want to do that, or if they’d rather hold out, get stomped tomorrow, and cross their fingers for a top seed.
Stanford vs. California (9:00 PM Eastern)
See: Indiana, replacing “Hoosiers” with “Cardinal.”
TCU vs. Kansas State (9:15ish PM Eastern)
Never count out Jamie Dixon.
Unless TCU loses.
Then you can probably count him out.
Syracuse vs. UNC (9:15ish PM Eastern)
Syracuse would feel a lot better about their NIT chances with a victory. UNC’s faintest of faint hopes might stay alive with a win of their own.
Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt (9:30 PM Eastern)
See: Indiana, but this time replace “Hoosiers” with “Razorbacks” or “Hogs” or just “Pigs.” I’d love it if a team was the pigs. I’d really love it if a team was the cows. Maybe I should call Weber State back up.
Xavier vs. DePaul (9:30 PM Eastern)
Probably the last chance for Xavier. Are they serious about basketball at that school or not?
