Games #199-200.  The evening session in Greensboro will give us a classic rivalry as well as an important bubble game.

7 pm.  Duke vs. Maryland.  There is no good will between Duke and Maryland. While the Blue Devils’ rivalry with North Carolina has shades of mutual respect, the rivalry with Maryland is one of pure unadulterated hate. Maryland has lost twice to Duke, but gave the Devils a real scare in early January by nearly stealing one in Durham. The question of this game, as it has been for an increasing number of game, is Kyle Singler. In the two prior games against Maryland, Singler scored a critical 25 and 22 points. Singler’s recent slump is cause for concern given how important he has been to victory over Maryland. Conversely, this matchup against the Terrapins may be just what Singler needs to get over his slump.For Maryland, the focus will be on defense. In January, Maryland boasted the most efficient defense in the entire country, but have now slumped to eighth in the conference. If Maryland can play effective defense against Duke’s elite perimeter scorers and set loose Jordan Williams on the soft Duke interior, an upset is a very real possibility.

9:30 pm.  Virginia Tech vs. Florida State.  While Virginia Tech looked like world-beaters on defense last night against hapless Georgia Tech, Florida State’s defense is even better. Boasting the seventh best defense in the nation and the third best in the ACC, the team has the potential to get even tougher. Chris Singleton, the presumptive pre-season Defensive Player of the Year for the ACC, is rumored to make his return as the anchor of a defense that was already well-nigh impenetrable. Singleton’s fractured foot side-lined him for the last chunk of the ACC season, but a return tonight spells bad news for a Virginia Tech team that counts on interior penetration to score. An additional worry is the long minutes that the Hokie starters played against Georgia Tech last night. While Florida State has likely already secured an NCAA berth, Virginia Tech probably needs at least this win to get off the bubble, and in all honesty, that might not be enough. Virginia Tech won against Florida State in January by 12 points, and last night they showed the power of their disruptive zone to flummox an offense. Florida State’s propensity for turning the ball over looks like a rough match-up against  a team that has the ball-hawking talent of Virginia Tech.

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Games #195-196. The Big 12’s Final Four square off in Kansas City tonight, with a couple of surprises joining a couple of stalwarts.

7 pm. Kansas vs. Colorado. After its third win over Kansas State this season, Colorado should feel safe about its tournament chances, but a win over #2 Kansas would remove any remaining doubt. Alec Burks and Cory Higgins have been outstanding in the Buffs’ two crucial victories, but need help from its supporting cast, especially in the frontcourt. The Jayhawks squeaked by Oklahoma State on Thursday thanks to a big three-point play from Mario Little in the final minute, but like Colorado, needs a more complete effort on the offensive end to rectify a three-game dip in production. Will fatigue set in for Colorado after playing two straight days, or will it ride momentum to an upset on the shoulders of its two stars?

9:30 pm. Texas vs. Texas A&M.The second semifinal will feature Mark Turgeon’s Aggies against the Longhorns. Texas A&M rolled to a comfortable win on Thursday night, bouncing Missouri from the conference tournament, but its next challenge is to beat a Texas team that blew out the Aggies in both regular season meetings. Rick Barnes’ team slammed on the gas against Oklahoma in the first half thanks to a 62% shooting clip before shifting things into cruise control in the second half. With a win, Texas would return to the Big 12 Tournament final for the first time since 2008. Join us as we find out who advances!

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Games #193-194.  RTC Live moves down to the sand and slots of Atlantic City for the Atlantic 10’s annual postseason tournament.

6:30 pm. La Salle vs. Temple. These two Big 5 rivals share a series that dates back to 1900, and will bring a taste of Philadelphia ball to the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The third meeting this season, promises to be another, down to the last minute battle between Temple’s Coach Fran Dunphy and La Salle’s Dr. John Giannini. This season Dunphy holds a 2-0 edge. Can the Owls, who won the two previous meetings by margins of four and eight, make it a three-game sweep? A third win may not be as easy as it looks. Temple will be led by Lavoy Allen, Ramone Moore, Juan Fernandez and Scottie Randall, all of whom were named to All-Conference teams (First, Second, Third and Most Improved) earlier in the week. La Salle, in Atlantic City by virtue of a road win over St. Bonaventure, will be led by All-Conference Rookie First Team guard Tyreek Duren, well regarded center/forward Aaric Murray and seniors Jerrell Williams and Ruben Guillandeaux. The seniors have a 1-7 record versus Temple.

9:00 pm. Rhode Island vs. Richmond. Seeded #3 in the conference tournament, sits on Zach Hayes’ #11 seed line (3/10/2011 edition) and needs wins, as many as All-Conference First Teamers Justin Harper and Kevin Anderson can gather in Atlantic City, for their NCAA resume. Running the table would guarantee a bid, but two wins would provide insurance against any more upsets in the other conference tournaments. Conference tournament upsets have pushed Rhode Island out of the NIT, but Coach Jim Baron’s team has played the spoiler all season, collecting untimely wins versus Boston College, Dayton, and Duquesne. And most significant of all, Rhode Island beat Richmond, by four, in Richmond earlier this season. The Runnin’ Rams, led by All-Conference Second Team forward Delroy James, beat Saint Louis 70-61, on Tuesday to punch their ticket to Atlantic City.

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Games #203-204: We’ve managed to leave Broad Ripple and get back down to Conseco Fieldhouse where the real action is.

As if the battles on the Conseco hardwood weren’t compelling enough, it will also be fun to see and hear the war in the stands today, as Purdue, Michigan, and Illinois see their first action of the Big Ten Tournament; each of those teams was well-represented yesterday even though their squads didn’t even have a game. The Wolverines and Illini face off in the first one (between 2:00-2:30 PM ET), and then we’re keen to see if Tom Izzo echoes Draymond Green’s strategy for Purdue that the former proposed yesterday after his fine game against Iowa: “E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson are going to do what they do. That’s going to happen. What you have to do against Purdue is keep their other players from rising up and putting up 14 and ten on you.” Will it work? Stop by and join us for it, beginning 30 minutes after the UM vs U of I game. Or better yet, join us for both games from Indianapolis.

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Games #201-202.  It’s SEC Friday in Atlanta and we’re going to focus on two of the more important bubble games of the day here.

1 pm.  Georgia vs. Alabama. “Everybody says, ‘Well, the SEC is down,’Well, the top sure isn’t down. I have no idea where either of us sits in the eyes of the committee, and we can’t control that. All we’re going to worry about is trying to advance in this tournament.”  Those of the words of Georgia Coach Mark Fox and this game is huge in determining if the SEC has any chance at getting six tournament bids.  The bottom half of the SEC is terrible.   If the Bulldogs win this game, they’re all but guaranteed to make the tournament.  The Dawgs’ Trey Thompkins says he is as healthy as he has ever been and played great yesterday in a 69-51 win over Auburn where he scored 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.  That’s a point for Georgia.  Alabama closed out the season with a win over Georgia in Tuscaloosa 65-57 last Saturday, so definitely a point for Alabama, but the Tide lost two straight to Mississippi and Florida; and with three losses to sub-100 RPI teams and a terrible preseason record, the Tide has to feel like this is a must-win game despite the 12-4 conference record.  I’m taking Georgia 63-60.

7 pm. Tennessee vs. Florida.  Tennessee’s RPI is due to a SOS ranking that is number 2 in the country.  The Volunteers are also 7-6 against the RPI top 50.  Most of the “experts”  say Tennessee is in, but with a poor home record where the Vols lost eight games at home, a 4-6 record in their last 10 games and a sub 200 RPI loss to Charlotte, why not just win the game and put doubt to rest?  It wouldn’t be the first time the selection committee left out a top 40 RPI team.  Florida is playing for seeding right now.  The Gators are probably sitting on a number three seed and not likely to move up, but they could certainly still drop with a poor showing in the SEC Tournament.  Lots to play for here.  Florida wins it 70-64.

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Games #191-192.  The Granddaddy of all conference tournaments tips off with a couple of solid bubble-related afternoon games today.

2:30 pm.  Boston College vs. Wake Forest.  Listen, folks, Wake Forest is bad. Maybe the worst team in all the BCS conferences. They’ve only won a single game in the ACC and that was against lowly Virginia.  Boston College was the season ending match-up for Wake and they lost by 16 points. Boston College has every advantage in this match-up and needs to beat Wake. After a promising start to their season, Boston College slumped and truly needs a strong showing in the tournament to make an unambiguous case. A win against Wake Forest won’t mean anything to Boston College except a chance to keep proving themselves. A loss likely means the end of Boston
College’s hopes for dancing. For BC,  Reggie Jackson remains the straw that stirs the proverbial drink on an offense that remains the tenth best in all of college basketball. Solid offensive contributions from Joe Trapani and Corey Raji will probably spell the doom of a Wake Forest team that seems incapable of stopping anyone. Wake Forest can only hope to counter with solid offensive efforts by genuinely skilled freshman, Travis McKie and the quietly sweet-shooting senior, Gary Clark, who is posting a true shooting percentage that’s north of 65%. Still, Wake Forest’s offense is still putrid and the worst in the ACC. This should be a blowout, but never underestimate the delight that some teams take in playing the spoiler.

9:30 pm. Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech.  Does anyone remember when the Hokies nearly beat Purdue in overtime? Actually, does anyone remember when they nearly beat Duke? Virginia Tech really is a good team, but they have got to be one of the more schizophrenic teams in college basketball. I know that injuries have decimated the team and there isn’t a lot of margin for error, but this tradition of bubble uncertainty is ridiculous. As always, Virginia Tech needs a strong showing in the ACC Tournament to make their case, and in Georgia Tech, the Hokies got an odd draw. The two teams split the home and away series exchanging blowouts: First Georgia Tech won by 15 and then Virginia Tech won by 25. I know that Virginia Tech is probably hoping for a repeat of the latter, but GT has finished the season surprisingly strongly, handling their last two games against Wake Forest and Miami with ease, while the Hokies slumped through the final stretch. Still, Virginia Tech has to be the favorite to win this game with offensive whirlwind Malcom Delaney leading the way and the rest of the team playing some seriously tough defense. On the other hand, though Georgia Tech’s season has largely been disappointing, this is a team with veteran leadership in Iman Shumpert and Daniel Miller. This is a team that did, after all, manage to stick it to an unsuspecting North Carolina team. That said, the team has virtually no good three-point shooters, despite a willingness to bomb away from long range. They hardly ever gets to the line. Hell, the team is bad at shooting two-pointers too. The Yellow Jackets do play defense, however, and is the third best team in the nation in getting steals. If they can hold the line and get some easy baskets off of turnovers, they might have a chance to send Virginia Tech back into the bubble limbo they know so well.

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Games #185-188.  RTC Live is in Vegas for a big-time afternoon of MWC basketball in the desert.

While the Mountain West Tournament started on Wednesday night with the 8/9 game between TCU and Wyoming, the meat of the matter kicks off Thursday with an interesting set of quarters beginning at noon in Vegas. BYU will get things started in the morning by facing TCU, a matchup which the Cougars should have little trouble with. The second quarterfinal of the day between Colorado State and New Mexico may be the most interesting one. The loser of that game is almost certainly NIT bound (at best), while the winner gets a crack at BYU in the semifinals where a win would go a long way towards getting them back into the NCAA at-large conversation. In the evening, we’ve got San Diego State and Utah kicking off at 6pm PST, followed by UNLV, playing in front of a largely partisan and raucous home crowd, against Air Force. It should be the beginning of a fun three days in Vegas, and we hope you’ll stop in to chat about some good MWC hoops.

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Games #183-184. The Big Ten Tournament gets underway in Indy and RTC Live will be there courtside for all of the best action.

RTC rolls into Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament and the bracket wastes no time in diving into the realm of bubble ramifications. 9-seed Minnesota needs to win a couple of games at the very least, and they’ll kick this event off against 8th-seeded Northwestern, with the winner getting the privilege of facing #1 Ohio State tomorrow at noon. Half an hour after the 8 vs 9 game concludes, we’ll have #7 Michigan State vs #10 Iowa as the Spartans try to pad that win total enough to impress the Selection Committee. Will that Tom Izzo post-season magic suddenly appear? Marquette likely played its way into the field of 68 last night by beating West Virginia, and that makes every single game vital; MSU and Minnesota can’t expect to drop first-round games and still bet let into the Dance, a fact of which we’re sure they’re well aware. It all starts at 2:30 PM ET. Two games, one RTC Live window! That’s a good deal at any time of year, so we hope to see you there.

Games #179-180.  The Jayhawks and Wildcats hit the hardwood in Kansas City to take on two winners of Wednesday’s opening round matchups.

12:30 pm – Kansas vs. Oklahoma State. After winning the Big 12 for the seventh straight season, the Kansas Jayhawks received a first-round bye in the conference tournament and now draws the Oklahoma State Cowboys. OSU ended any realistic chance of Nebraska making the NCAA Tournament with a 53-52 victory on Wednesday. Bill Self’s team is a sure thing for a number one seed, but must keep up its momentum if it wants the tournament’s top overall spot. KU won the first meeting in blowout fashion, 92-65, in Lawrence two weeks ago, but Travis Ford’s team is eager to play spoiler.

3:00 pm – Kansas State vs. Colorado. The second game will pit Kansas State against Colorado. The Wildcats have used a month-long surge to return to its preseason status as a team that no one wants to play in a tournament situation. The Buffaloes need a high-profile win to strengthen their case for a tournament bid, and while Kansas State is hot, Colorado beat them in both regular season meetings. We’ll also be treated to a matchup of high-level individual scorers with Jacob Pullen and Alec Burks sharing the court.

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Games #189-190.  Three days in, and we’re finally to the Big Easts quarters in MSG today.  You’ll struggle to find as many good early NCAA matchups.

12 pm.  UConn vs. Pitt.  Can any Big East fan forget the battles these two programs had in the early 00’s in the Big East Tournament? This season’s matchup should be just as entertaining. The first time these two played, Pitt was at full strength and UConn was still basically a one-man show. As a result, the Panthers won by 15 at home. This time around, Shabazz Napier and Jeremy Lamb are both playing some of their best basketball of the season, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel has finally found his shooting touch, and Alex Oriakhi is being, well, Oriakhi. Throw in the loss of Talib Zanna to a broken thumb, and there is no reason that we can’t get a good old fashioned Big East battle.

2:30 pm.  St. John’s vs. Syracuse.  The Johnnies lost one game at the Garden in Big East play, and that came to Syracuse. Its a little bit counterintuitive when you think about it. St. John’s has big guys that can crash the glass and versatile, play-making forwards that can sit at the high post and find open men. The issue is that St. John’s lacks effective perimeter shooters. Dwight Hardy is, for all intents and purposes, it. St. John’s looks like they may be regressing back to the mean after a sizzling finish to the regular season. Syracuse is an enigma. The key today? Which Scoop Jardine and which Kris Joseph show up.

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