All right, slow down. Don't go looking for your team's game -- wait! I'm serious.
Your team's game? It's probably not here. I know this is true, because I'm shaking my head at some of the games left out of this weekend's version of The Top 10 Games.
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| Steve Alford's Hawkeyes could use a bubble boost; upsetting No. 1 Illinois would do. (Getty Images) |
Different stakes.
Keep that in mind as you check out which games made the list, and which did not.
Or just do what you always do -- the message board awaits.
Saturday
No. 1 Illinois at Iowa : Iowa has no business winning this game, with or without Pierre Pierce (and without it will be), but the Hawkeyes (16-8, 4-7) understand that without a victory here, they'll need an even less likely run deep into the Big Ten Tournament to get an NCAA bid. All Illinois (26-0, 12-0) has to play for is its perfect record -- and the desire to give the Hawkeyes a more emphatic whipping than that 73-68 overtime game on Jan. 20. That should be enough.
Texas at Baylor: The Longhorns (17-7, 6-5) made an enormous NCAA Tournament statement with a 75-40 trashing of Texas A&M. Odd as it sounds, a win against Baylor (9-13, 1-10) would be just as valuable for two reasons: One, it would come on the road. And two, a loss to the Big 12's last-place team would erase every ounce of good Texas did for itself in that rout of the Aggies. Freshman PG watch: Texas' Daniel Gibson vs. Baylor's Aaron Bruce.
South Carolina at No. 16 Alabama: The Gamecocks (14-8, 6-5) hope to finish off a season-changing week that began with their 73-61 win over No. 3 Kentucky. Until that game, South Carolina was on the wrong side of the bubble, pushed there by an awful home loss to Auburn. USC is back in the game now, but beating the host Crimson Tide (20-4, 9-2) will be at least as difficult as the upset of Kentucky. Keep an eye on Alabama big men Chuck Davis and Jermareo Davidson. USC can guard one of them, but not both.
Pepperdine at St. Mary's: Unless it wins its final three regular-season games, St. Mary's (21-7, 8-3) is going to be an awfully close call for the selection committee. The Gaels have lost twice recently, and while there's no shame in losing to Gonzaga (ask Oklahoma State) or at Santa Clara (ask North Carolina), St. Mary's can't wave the banner of the Big 12 or ACC. So keep winning, St. Mary's, but beware of Glen McGowan and these Waves (15-12, 5-7). Pepperdine is coming off a win at Santa Clara. This is no Gaels gimme.
Wichita State at Miami (Ohio): This could be the most vital Bracket Buster game on the docket, what with the Shockers (18-5) and Miami (16-6) close to, but not yet in possession of, lock status for the NCAA Tournament. The loser still has a shot. The winner? That team ought to be in. It's not the same for Vermont (19-4) at Nevada (19-5), both of which deserve NCAA bids regardless. Pacific (21-2) at UTEP (20-6)? A must-win for UTEP only.
Florida at LSU: Both teams are alone in second place in their SEC divisions -- Florida (16-6, 8-3) in the East, LSU (14-8, 7-4) the West -- but only the Gators should feel solid about their NCAA position. LSU is coming off a strong road win at Mississippi State, and would be in terrific shape, NCAA-wise, with another win here. Florida can afford to lose this one on the road. Big men battle: LSU's Brandon Bass and Glen Davis vs. Florida's David Lee and Al Horford.
Sunday
UCLA at Stanford: Barring something strange happening in the Pac-10 Tournament, this is an NCAA elimination game. Then again, something strange already has happened: Stanford (14-9, 8-5) played its first game Thursday without leading scorer Dan Grunfeld and won, beating Southern Cal thanks to replacement starter Fred Washington's 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists. UCLA (14-8, 8-6) lost earlier this season to Stanford, and the Pac-10 looks like a three-bid league. These teams are fighting for third place. You do the math.
DePaul at Marquette: Marquette has one more overall victory, but DePaul has a four-game C-USA edge, which translates to six spots in the standings. That's why DePaul (16-6, 8-3) is charging toward an NCAA bid, even with that loss at Charlotte, while Marquette (17-8, 5-7) needs a few more exclamation points on its resumé. Beating Louisville on Thursday would have been one, but the Golden Eagles collapsed in the final five minutes. As a bonus, there's the Diener cousin battle between DePaul's Drake and Marquette's Travis. Elsewhere in C-USA, UAB (16-8, 6-5) needs a lot more than to win at No. 24 Cincinnati (19-6, 7-4) -- but after losing at home to East Carolina, the Blazers have to start somewhere. And fast.
No. 17 Pittsburgh at No. 25 Villanova: Villanova has an awesome NCAA resumé aside from one troubling number: The Wildcats (16-6, 6-5) are seventh in the Big East. With everything else going for it, Villanova can finish seventh in the Big East and still get an NCAA bid -- but don't push your luck, Wildcats. Beating the Panthers (18-4, 8-3) would put a nice bow on things. Watch Villanova's quartet of guards try to fluster Pitt's Carl Krauser.
No. 5 Wake Forest at No. 7 Duke: OK, so both teams are in the NCAAs regardless of today. But Wake Forest (22-3, 10-2) would move one step closer to a No. 1 seed in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, while Duke (18-4, 8-4) needs to shake off the sting of consecutive losses, most recently to unranked Virginia Tech. Those are pretty good stakes. We're dumb, but not dumb enough to leave this game out. Then again ... the message board awaits.
