March 1 means it's bubble-popping time
Maybe it was Utah State, UNC-Wilmington and Northern Iowa. Or it could have been Air Force, Hofstra and Bradley.
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Click the play button for Gregg Doyel's take on the Florida State-Duke game.
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But it was somebody. And it was three of you. Wednesday night, see, was death to mid-majors.
Upset victories by Florida State, Texas A&M and Kentucky made those three major-conference schools likely to receive at-large bids into the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Kentucky, by winning at No. 11 Tennessee, improved its position from frightening to firm. Florida State and Texas A&M, by beating No. 1 Duke and No. 6 Texas, have gone from the wrong side of the NCAA bubble to semi-solid footing.
That's great news for Kentucky, Florida State and Texas A&M. But it's awful news for the mid-majors that just got bumped. And two or three of you just did.
With so few NCAA locks, it's difficult to say which teams might have been jockeying for the final at-large bids entering Wednesday. But it's safe to say the group included Utah State from the WAC, Air Force from the Mountain West, Northern Iowa and Bradley from the Missouri Valley, and Hofstra and UNC-Wilmington from the Colonial.
Timing is everything, and for Florida State, Texas A&M and Kentucky, the timing of these victories is as important as the identity of the opponent.
Beating No. 1 Duke is one thing. Beating Duke on March 1 is something else. That's the Seminoles (18-8, 8-7 ACC), whose resume needed a big-time boost thanks to a dreary non-conference schedule and an ACC record that showed wins only against the league's NIT and sub-NIT teams. FSU still has just one win against a 2006 NCAA Tournament team, but when that one victory is against No. 1 Duke, and it comes on March 1 ... the Seminoles now should like their at-large chances.
Sorry, Bradley.
Texas A&M (19-7, 9-6) is the Big 12's version of Florida State. The Aggies rolled through a weak non-conference schedule, then fattened their Big 12 record on the league's weakest teams. By beating No. 6 Texas on March 1, the Aggies have a marquee win -- at a marquee time -- to show to the selection committee.
Sorry, Air Force.
And Kentucky (19-10, 9-6) can relax after averting a potential 0-4 finish. The Wildcats, who lost Saturday at LSU, play Florida on Sunday. Losing to Tennessee would have been step two in a potential four-loss finish (including the SEC Tournament) that could have given the Wildcats a 3-7 record in their final 10 games. It's not happening now. Beating No. 11 Tennessee on March 1 means Kentucky is safely in the NCAA Tournament.
Sorry, NC-Wilmington.
