2021-22 College Basketball Thread

[GeorgiaModerate]

In a huge mid-major upset, Vermont (which was 20-4 and undefeated in the America East) lost to Hartford, which was 6-16 going in.

ETA: Maybe not.  I originally saw the score as final at 67-65, but now it seems that it has gone to OT.

Edit 2: Hartford hung on to win in OT, 75-74.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Wednesday, Feb. 16

Illinois @ Rutgers 7:00 PM  Rutgers is playing really well lately.
Miami (FL) @ Louisville 7:00 PM
Mississippi State @ Alabama 7:00 PM
Seton Hall @ UConn 8:30 PM
Baylor @ Texas Tech 9:00 PM
SMU @ Temple 9:00 PM

Thursday, Feb. 17

Minnesota @ Penn State 4:00 PM
Wichita State @ Cincinnati 7:00 PM
Michigan @ Iowa 7:00 PM

Friday, Feb. 18

Richmond @ VCU 7:00 PM

Saturday, Feb. 19

Auburn @ Florida 2:00 PM
Tennessee @ Arkansas 4:00 PM
Xavier @ UConn 12:00 PM
Texas Tech @ Texas 12:30 PM
Notre Dame @ Wake Forest 1:00 PM
Kansas State @ Oklahoma State 2:00 PM
Illinois @ Michigan State 2:30 PM
LSU @ South Carolina 3:30 PM
North Carolina @ Virginia Tech 4:00 PM
Princeton @ Yale 7:00 PM
BYU @ Saint Mary's 10:00 PM
San Diego State @ Fresno State 10:00 PM

Sunday, Feb. 20

Marquette @ Creighton 3:00 PM
Memphis @ SMU 3:00 PM
Washington State @ USC 7:30 PM

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Virginia Tech really nearly knocked UVA completely out after their long climb back to relevancy, but it's not decisive yet. Kansas State basically did the same to West Virginia even though WV has five Q1 games coming up. And those victors are far from safe themselves.

Four teams will play their most critical remaining game this week that will get them to the win total that puts them in (if all easier games are won and all more difficult games are lost):

Wednesday
Rutgers (vs. Illinois) - Rutgers needs to hold serve in its remaining home games to get to 18-12, which is doable, and this is the most difficult of the three. That would get them to 7 Q1 wins before the Big Ten Tournament starts to more than offset the two brutal losses. A loss here, and they need to win in Bloomington, and the spread will be much bigger there.

Thursday
Creighton (@ DePaul) - Creighton is projected to finish 3-3 but needs to go 4-2 to pencil itself in the First Four. Somehow, DePaul is the 4th most difficult opponent, narrowly behind a home game vs. UConn. Potentially in a spot to finish 3rd place in the Big East if they win here, but efficiency metrics still hate them due to blowout losses to Seton Hall, Butler and Villanova

Saturday
Kansas State (@ Oklahoma State) - Will be far from decisive since the two easier (home) games are not much easier, and the two harder games are a lot harder, but this could get them projected into the First Four

Virginia (@ Miami) - Failing to beat Miami, they could take down Duke a second time at JPJ, but this would probably put the nail in the coffin, barring a loss in the ACC Championship. Too far off the bubble. Need the 3rd Q1 win.

[JGibson]

WEEK FIFTEEN SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)

Wednesday, Feb. 16

Illinois @ Rutgers 7:00 PM
Miami (FL) @ Louisville 7:00 PM
Mississippi State @ Alabama 7:00 PM
Seton Hall @ UConn 8:30 PM
Baylor @ Texas Tech 9:00 PM
SMU @ Temple 9:00 PM

Thursday, Feb. 17

Minnesota @ Penn State 4:00 PM
Wichita State @ Cincinnati 7:00 PM
Michigan @ Iowa 7:00 PM

Friday, Feb. 18

Richmond @ VCU 7:00 PM

Saturday, Feb. 19

Auburn @ Florida TBD
Tennessee @ Arkansas TBD
Xavier @ UConn 12:00 PM
Texas Tech @ Texas 12:30 PM
Notre Dame @ Wake Forest 1:00 PM
Kansas State @ Oklahoma State 2:00 PM
Illinois @ Michigan State 2:30 PM
LSU @ South Carolina 3:30 PM
North Carolina @ Virginia Tech 4:00 PM
Princeton @ Yale 7:00 PM
BYU @ Saint Mary's 10:00 PM
San Diego State @ Fresno State 10:00 PM

Sunday, Feb. 20

Marquette @ Creighton 3:00 PM
Memphis @ SMU 3:00 PM
Washington State @ USC 7:30 PM

[GeorgiaModerate]

Michigan State takes a bad loss at Penn State, 62-58.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

One of the all-time great Big East regular season games, reminiscent of the 1980s coaching personalities and passionate atmosphere that won't soon be forgotten. Probably the best game since the Villanova-Providence 2018 BET title game. Two incredible programs and two incredible coaches.

I wish they could tie for the Big East title, but they will not be able to because Providence will only play 17 games. They both control their own destiny, but the numbers say that the most likely outcome is that Villanova will beat Providence again when they meet in Philadelphia but lose in Storrs before they meet to hand the title to Providence for the first time in basketball history.

I know the good folks in Connecticut run a proud program, but there is one thing they may enjoy more than winning, and that is rejoicing in Providence's perpetual mediocrity and lack of trophies. The players will fight, but I'm not sure the home crowd will be too sad to give Villanova the chance to knock out Providence one week later.

[Greedo punched first]

New Mexico upsets #22 Wyoming 75-66 in Albuquerque.

[7,052,770]

There's starting to be a lot of smoke that Sean Miller will be the coach of Mississippi State next season. I'm not really sure what to think about that.

[Podgy the Bear]

Impressive win by #16 Tennessee over #4 Kentucky 76-63.  Volunteers in control all the way.

[Leohendo9]

good win for memphis but shows cinci miss their big man Ado

[GeorgiaModerate]

Big East craziness continues as Xavier loses by 13 at home to St. John's.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Notre Dame barely avoids what would have been a terrible home loss to BC, winning 99-95 in OT.

[GeorgiaModerate]

North Carolina takes a terrible home loss to Pitt, 76-67.  The Panthers were a 13.5-point underdog.  UNC might be close to falling out of projected tournament brackets after this.

[DINGO Joe]

North Carolina takes a terrible home loss to Pitt, 76-67.  The Panthers were a 13.5-point underdog.  UNC might be close to falling out of projected tournament brackets after this.

North Carolina was the total inverse of Rutgers, it beat all the teams it should, but couldn't beat any ranked teams or even fellow conference bubble teams.  Rutgers on the other hand  has won five games against ranked teams and has beat some bubble conference teams but had some really bad Nov losses and even in conference has lost to everybody in the bottom 5 except Nebraska (barely).  Of course, losing to Pitt breaks that narrative, while Rutgers dominated Illinois.

[GeorgiaModerate]

SMU (without their star player Kendric Davis) led Temple 49-42 with four minutes left but completely disintegrated, losing 64-57.  Their loss created a numerically rather pleasing sequence at the top of the AAC standings:

9-2 Houston
9-3 SMU
9-4 Memphis
9-5 Tulane

[DINGO Joe]

SMU (without their star player Kendric Davis) led Temple 49-42 with four minutes left but completely disintegrated, losing 64-57.  Their loss created a numerically rather pleasing sequence at the top of the AAC standings:

9-2 Houston
9-3 SMU
9-4 Memphis
9-5 Tulane

It's bonkers that Tulane is 9-5

[GeorgiaModerate]

North Carolina takes a terrible home loss to Pitt, 76-67.  The Panthers were a 13.5-point underdog.  UNC might be close to falling out of projected tournament brackets after this.

North Carolina was the total inverse of Rutgers, it beat all the teams it should, but couldn't beat any ranked teams or even fellow conference bubble teams.  Rutgers on the other hand  has won five games against ranked teams and has beat some bubble conference teams but had some really bad Nov losses and even in conference has lost to everybody in the bottom 5 except Nebraska (barely).  Of course, losing to Pitt breaks that narrative, while Rutgers dominated Illinois.

Regarding UNC being the inverse of Rutgers:

https://twitter.com/ESPNLunardi/status/1494347242643283971

[GeorgiaModerate]

Cincinnati is on fire and leads Wichita State 32-11 less than 9 minutes into the game.  The Bearcats already have seven made 3-pointers (in eight attempts).

[GeorgiaModerate]

Oregon loses by 24 at Arizona State, which might have popped their bubble hopes.

[Greedo punched first]

RIP Oregon?

[Pessimistic Antineutrino]

I continue to forget things...

WEEK FIFTEEN SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)


Friday, Feb. 18

Richmond @ VCU 7:00 PM

Saturday, Feb. 19

Auburn @ Florida TBD
Tennessee @ Arkansas TBD
Xavier @ UConn 12:00 PM
Texas Tech @ Texas 12:30 PM
Notre Dame @ Wake Forest 1:00 PM
Kansas State @ Oklahoma State 2:00 PM
Illinois @ Michigan State 2:30 PM
LSU @ South Carolina 3:30 PM
North Carolina @ Virginia Tech 4:00 PM
Princeton @ Yale 7:00 PM
BYU @ Saint Mary's 10:00 PM
San Diego State @ Fresno State 10:00 PM

Sunday, Feb. 20

Marquette @ Creighton 3:00 PM
Memphis @ SMU 3:00 PM
Washington State @ USC 7:30 PM

[Pessimistic Antineutrino]

WEEK 16 SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)

Wednesday, Feb. 23

Creighton @ St. John's  6:30 PM
Mississippi State @ South Carolina  6:30 PM
Duke @ Virginia  7:00 PM
Xavier @ Providence  7:00 PM
West Virginia @ Iowa State  7:00 PM
Cincinnati @ UCF  9:00 PM
Wyoming @ Colorado State  9:00 PM
Washington @ Washington State  11:00 PM

Thursday, Feb. 24

Ohio State @ Illinois  9:00 PM
UCLA @ Oregon  9:30 PM

Friday, Feb. 25

Saint Louis @ Richmond  7:00 PM
Northwestern @ Penn State  7:00 PM

Saturday, Feb. 26

Auburn @ Tennessee  TBD
Purdue @ Michigan State  TBD
Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma  12:00 PM
Iowa State @ Kansas State  2:00 PM
Virginia Tech @ Miami (FL)  3:00 PM
Seton Hall @ Xavier  3:30 PM
Texas A&M @ Ole Miss  3:30 PM
Texas Tech @ TCU  6:00 PM
Wisconsin @ Rutgers  6:00 PM
Kansas @ Baylor  8:00 PM
Gonzaga @ Saint Mary's  10:00 PM

Sunday, Feb. 27

Illinois @ Michigan  2:00 PM
St. John's @ DePaul  5:00 PM

Lot of away picks here

[GeorgiaModerate]

Week 17 is the last week of the regular season, so it will be the final week of the pick'em game.  We don't include the conference tournaments because there's not enough lead time to make picks.

For the NCAA tournament, there are plenty of sites online that run bracket challenges (espn.com's is probably the largest) so I've never seen much point to doing one here (although if someone else wants to run one here, feel free).

[Illiniwek]

WEEK 16 SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)

Wednesday, Feb. 23

Creighton @ St. John's  6:30 PM
Mississippi State @ South Carolina  6:30 PM
Duke @ Virginia  7:00 PM
Xavier @ Providence  7:00 PM
West Virginia @ Iowa State  7:00 PM
Cincinnati @ UCF  9:00 PM
Wyoming @ Colorado State  9:00 PM
Washington @ Washington State  11:00 PM

Thursday, Feb. 24

Ohio State @ Illinois  9:00 PM
UCLA @ Oregon  9:30 PM

Friday, Feb. 25

Saint Louis @ Richmond  7:00 PM
Northwestern @ Penn State  7:00 PM

Saturday, Feb. 26

Auburn @ Tennessee  TBD
Purdue @ Michigan State  TBD
Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma  12:00 PM
Iowa State @ Kansas State  2:00 PM
Virginia Tech @ Miami (FL)  3:00 PM
Seton Hall @ Xavier  3:30 PM
Texas A&M @ Ole Miss  3:30 PM
Texas Tech @ TCU  6:00 PM
Wisconsin @ Rutgers  6:00 PM
Kansas @ Baylor  8:00 PM
Gonzaga @ Saint Mary's  10:00 PM

Sunday, Feb. 27

Illinois @ Michigan  2:00 PM
St. John's @ DePaul  5:00 PM

[DINGO Joe]

RIP Oregon?

I mean AZ St. is a better team than their record, but not that good so they're a longshot at this point.