Friday, February 27, 10:00PM Valparaiso @ Cleveland St.
Valparaiso could have wrapped up a Horizon League championship with a win over Detroit on Wednesday night. Instead, the Titans pulled off the upset and gave life to Cleveland St., Oakland, and Green Bay. Those are the 3 teams who all now trail Valpo by just one game in the loss column. The fates of those teams lies with Cleveland St. If the Vikings can knock off Valpo, the Horizon League could finish with as many as 3 teams tied for first. Cleveland St. could be playing for the regular season title, but after their big win over Green Bay, they lost to Milwaukee. The upsets and relative balance in the league are a testament to just how good the Horizon League is. This will be a fun conference tournament.
The Hills and The Valley
Saturday, February 28, 2:00PM Northern Iowa @ Wichita St.
This is the one that we've all had circled on our calendars. These teams might play in a midmajor conference, but this is a very major game. Northern Iowa has steadily risen up the rankings and comes into the game ranked 10th. Wichita St. began the season highly ranked and nothing about their play has made anyone question that ranking. They're currently 11th. The two teams met in late January and Northern Iowa beat the Shockers in impressive fashion, 70-54. That was only Wichita St.'s 3rd loss of the season. The other two were against Utah and George Washington. The Panthers have only lost twice, road games at VCU and Evansville. Northern Iowa avenged their Evansville loss during the week. Wichita St. will look to avenge their only conference loss on Saturday. The winner of this one takes home the regular season championship and gets a leg-up on NCAA Tournament seeding.
Saluting You, Patriot League
Saturday, February 28, 2:00PM Lehigh @ Colgate
Colgate is a game ahead of Lehigh and a game behind Bucknell in the Patriot League standings. Bucknell ends the season on the road against American, so Colgate will need to beat Lehigh and hope for the Bison to lose if they want a share of the regular season title. Lehigh is coming off a big win over Bucknell to set up the importance of this game. If the Mountain Hawks win, they will move into a tie for second place.
A-10 Out of 10
Saturday, February 28, 2:00PM Dayton @ VCU
There are 4 teams tied for first place in the A-10 after Davidson beat Rhode Island and Richmond beat VCU this week. VCU and Dayton are 2 of those teams. VCU is solidly in the tournament, but their seeding has taken a hit recently. The Rams are just 3-3 in their last six games. And, in addition to this game against Dayton, they also have a game with Davidson before finishing the season against George Mason. The Flyers have an equally brutal finish. The travel to VCU and then get Rhode Island at home before finishing against LaSalle. There are too many crucial games left to make predictions about where these teams will finish in the A-10 standings, but this game will go a long way to giving us some idea.
Look to the Horizon
Saturday, February 28, 2:00PM Oakland @ Green Bay
When Green Bay beat number 15 Miami on the road in early December, the Phoenix looked like the prohibitive favorite to win the Horizon League. They lost only 2 nonconference games, in fact, and one of those was to number 3 Wisconsin. They have stumbled a bit in Horizon play, though, and left us wondering if they Miami team they beat was the one who beat Duke in Cameron or the one who lost to Eastern Kentucky by 28 points. Green Bay has beaten the teams they were supposed to beat since Horizon play started, but they are just 1-4 against the top 3 teams in the Horizon standings. One of those losses came against Oakland on January 15. The Grizzlies are 11-2 in their last 13 games including the win over Green Bay and one against Cleveland St. They also split their games against Valpo this season. Another win over Green Bay would give them a chance at a regular season championship and set them up for a run in the Horizon League Tournament.
Sweet Tea in the Big South
Saturday, February 28, 4:30PM High Point @ Charleston Southern
With Charleston Southern's loss last week to Weber St., High Point can win the Big South outright with a win on Saturday. The Panthers did beat Charleston Southern in their first meeting, but that was in early January. The Buccaneers have played well since then and are just 1 game behind High Point. Still, the loss to Weber St. was a bad one for Charleston Southern. Had they won that game, they would be playing for the outright championship. As it stands, the best they can hope for is a share of the title with High Point.
James Bond Will Return in...Big Skyfall
Saturday, February 28, 5:00PM Montana @ Eastern Washington
Montana had won 5 games in a row to climb back into first place in the Big Sky. And then they lost. To Idaho. Call it a look ahead game if you want, but it puts the Grizzlies in a tough spot. They now have to beat Eastern Washington on the road if they want a share of the regular season title. That's no easy task. The Eagles have lost only once at home all season. They are just 2-2 in their last 4 games after the win against Sacramento St., though. If they were to lose to Montana, Sacramento St. would sit alone in first place. If they win, they're over their biggest hurdle for the remainder of the regular season.
No One on the Corner Have SWAC-a Like Us
Saturday, February 28, 6:00PM Texas Southern @ Alabama St.
These two teams are tied for first place in the SWAC coming into the game. Texas Southern has been streaking winning 12 of their last 14 and 4 in a row. During that stretch they also have a win over Alabama St. Not that the Hornets have been slouching. They have won 13 of 15 including 2 wins over third place Southern. The winner of this game has the inside track at the regular season championship. The loser will need some help to get there.
Return of the MAC
Saturday, February 28, 7:00PM Kent St. @ Buffalo
Kent St. comes into the game tied for first place in the MAC East. Buffalo sits just a game behind. Both teams have had ups and downs to get to this point. Kent St. won 4 out of 5 games, and then lost to Miami (OH) in overtime. They could have been alone in first, but the surprising loss keeps the race interesting. Buffalo looked to be falling out of the race altogether just a few weeks ago when they lost three games straight. They have since won three straight, including huge wins over first place Bowling Green and Akron, who is just a game behind the Bulls. Bobby Hurley's team now has a chance to knock off one of the teams directly in front of them and make a run at a regular season championship.
MWC You in March
Saturday, February 28, 8:00PM Boise St. @ San Diego St.
Another monster game for a bubble team. Boise St. is planted firmly and squarely on that bubble and desperately needs another marquee win to show off to the Selection Committee. That win could come in the form of a season sweep of SDSU on Saturday night. It won't come easily, though. The Aztecs haven't lost at home since November 14...of 2013. Boise should have confidence coming in, though. They not only beat San Diego St. just a few weeks ago; they beat them by 15 holding the Aztecs to just 46 points. That's the fewest points San Diego St. has scored since a December 7 loss to Washington. Since their loss to Boise St., though, the Aztecs have averaged 69 points per game - all wins.
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