If TCU finds that name on the field on Selection Sunday, it may have Jamia Nelson Jr. to thank for getting him there.
The latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology predictions project nine teams to play in the men's NCAA Tournament, with four teams revealed for initial top-16 seeds, Big 12 with every win as restart booster This is a dogfight in the conference. But of those projected teams, the Horned Frogs entered Saturday as one that still needs to prove they deserve a bid. And in a conference this deep, wins against the bottom teams in the Big 12 are essential. A matchup against No. 10 Kansas State.
After a mediocre first half, the Horned Frogs woke up and looked on track to take a 10-point lead with seven minutes left and a five-point lead with 30 seconds left.
Then a bad foul on a 3-pointer, all free throws, and Kansas State survived. After both teams traded free throws for a pair, a bad turnover on the inbounds tied the game for the Wildcats with 15 seconds left and it looked like the game would go to overtime, but the Horned Frogs were destroyed in Manhattan. suffered a major collapse.
But the son of the St. Joseph legend stepped in on what appeared to be a disjointed final play. Nelson made a 3-pointer over a defender with one second left to give TCU the lead, but Kansas State's full-court hype failed, giving TCU a much-needed victory.
This wasn't a Quad 1 win, but the Horned Frogs need a win when three of their next four games (Texas Tech, Baylor, BYU) are Quad 1 games. This means TCU is entering its toughest period yet. They will finish the season in the Big 12's top four and earn an automatic berth to the conference tournament quarterfinals. That's why the Horned Frogs sit atop the bubble's biggest winners and losers this Saturday.
winner
florida
Don't look now, but Florida State is hot for its seventh championship in the last eight by defeating Georgia State while picking up a win in Quad 2. The Bulldogs surprised Florida's offense in the first half and led by as many as 11 points in the first frame, but the Gators' defense tightened up in the second half, holding Georgia to 37 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes. The backcourt duo of Walter Creighton Jr. and Jyon Poulin has also led this team to success, averaging a combined 34.4 points per game over the past eight contests.
The Gators have rebounded from a 1-3 start in conference play in recent weeks with a win against Kentucky and a blowout win at home against Auburn. It's not pretty, but the best thing that can be said about the seven losses this season is that they were all wins. Play against a Quad 1 opponent. Florida will have a chance to boost its restart and move closer to its prospects of earning a No. 7 seed with a trip to Alabama next week.
Mississippi State SEC Team
The Magnolia State SEC school will need to maintain its current standings in the scheduled field after securing a win against the conference's cellar dwellers.
Chris Jans wants his team to finish No. 64 rather than play in the first four like last season, and the win over Arkansas moves Mississippi State to 3-6 in SEC play. Since the start, he has won 3 consecutive races and moved up to 2nd place. middle of the pack. North of Starkville, Mississippi State's late comeback against Missouri State ended a three-game losing streak that had dropped the Rebels from first place in the SEC.
The next match between both teams will be the second meeting of the season. Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State in its first game at home, but Wednesday's game between the in-state rivals could decide who gets to play in the tournament in March and who doesn't. do not have.
cincinnati
The first season in the Big 12 wasn't great for Cincinnati, but the Bearcats earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament after a road win over UCF. Cincinnati took a double-digit lead in the second half and looked like they might pull away from the Knights, but UCF came back late to tie the game. However, Cincinnati was able to make a clutch layup by Simas Lukosius off a turnover to give his team the lead for good.
It's hard to argue for a team that loses in the conference to play in the tournament. Especially for a team that entered Saturday having lost three of its last four games, but the win over UCF gave Cincinnati its third win in Quad 1 while holding all NETs. They are ranked 38th, just one spot above fellow bubble team TCU, which they will play next Saturday. The Bearcats certainly have work to do to get out of their first four-and-out situation, but Saturday's win puts them in a corner.
pittsburgh
Few teams are playing as well as Pittsburgh right now. Pittsburgh defeated Louisville by 27 points, winning their fifth straight game as Blake Hinson scored 41 points on nine 3-pointers.
It's quite a turnaround for a team that was 10-7 and 1-5 in the ACC just a few weeks ago, with the Panthers currently in fourth place in the conference. A shaky start to the season is the reason why Pittsburgh isn't currently scheduled for a tournament berth (sitting within the next four outs), but if the Panthers continue to perform at their current level, that could be the case. It would be difficult to deny that. they bid. They could get another Quad 1 win next week on the road against another ACC bubble team in Wake Forest.
Top Mountain West contenders
If the Mountain West is truly going to have six teams make it to the big stage, it will need consistency from all the contenders in the conference. Boise State was able to do that, but Colorado State had the best win in the conference on the day.
Colorado State, currently the No. 9 seed in the projected bracket, could move up in the standings with a resounding 20-point victory over conference leader Utah State, and the Rams will remain in the hunt for the fourth season this season. He won his second Quad 1 victory. Conference title. Meanwhile, Boise State won 90-66 against Fresno State, a much-needed win for a team that is currently one of the final four teams remaining in the tournament.
colorado
No team needed a win more than Colorado on Saturday, which had lost four of its last five games against a resurgent UCLA team. Things looked dire when the Buffaloes were down 16 points with about 10 minutes left in the game against an inferior team from Southern California, but they fought back in the final minutes of regulation to force overtime. A second overtime period was required, but Colorado prevented the Trojans from tying the game in the final second to earn a three-point victory and their second road win of the season.
Recent struggles have pushed Colorado out of the expected berth to fourth place, and it will be an uphill climb to regain a spot, but the Buffaloes remain winless on the road to the Los Angeles school. I couldn't afford it. The team hopes this win provides momentum for the big game next Saturday when the University of Colorado hosts the same bubble team in Utah.
loser
Texas, Texas A&M
Both soon-to-be SEC rivals are looking to make the tournament, but a game against a top-ranked opponent on the road would have been a big boost if Texas and Texas A&M had won, or at least missed the tournament. He would have made it in. A fascinating game.
However, both teams fell short, with Texas losing to Houston by 21 points, and Texas A&M allowing 100 points to Alabama and losing by 25 points.
In terms of staying in the NCAA Tournament, Texas is in good hands for now, but could drop its seed if it can't move out of the bottom half of the Big 12. It also doesn't help that the last three roads are in a row. Without another impressive win, the Longhorns will find themselves in dangerous territory as their regular season games will be against Quad 1 opponents.
It's been a week to forget for the Aggies, who suffered a highly questionable loss to Vanderbilt on Tuesday, their third Quad 3 loss of the season. The Aggies took a huge leap forward by defeating Tennessee last week, but Texas A&M will need to turn things around quickly if it wants to avoid falling into a double-digit seed.
wake forest
Wake Forest, one of the first four teams, could jump into one of the final four spots with its first Quad 1 win against Virginia.
Instead, the Demon Deacons went 0-5 against Quad 1 teams.
Wake Forest entered Opening Day as one of 49 Division I teams to average at least 80 points per game, but they fell victim to Virginia's defense, shooting just 35% on the day and ending the season. He scored the lowest score of 47 points. Despite the struggles, Wake Forest persevered and had several chances to take the lead late, despite the Cavaliers shooting an abysmal 1-of-11 from the free throw line. I couldn't take advantage of that.
Saturday was a wasted chance for Wake Forest to get back on track, but don't lose all hope. Next week will be important for the Demon Deacons, who will have a chance to step up their game. The Demon Deacons face surging Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Duke on Saturday in what is shaping up to be almost a must-win game.
Butler
After winning four straight, defeating Creighton on the road two weeks ago, Butler looked poised to earn a tournament berth in the final month of the regular season.
The Bulldogs had a promising first half against the Blue Jays at home on Saturday with a one-point lead, but the second half was a disaster. Creighton's offense picked up steam while Butler cooled down, making five 3-pointers in the first half and then 1 of 11 from behind the arc. In the end, Butler suffered a 22-point loss at home.
It's been a rough few weeks for the Bulldogs, losing three of their last four games, with all losses coming to teams ranked in the top 16 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Butler, 16-10, is in contention for the tournament with four wins in Quad 1, and would theoretically have an easier time finishing the regular season schedule, facing only two more Quad 1 opponents. There's a game left, but the Bulldogs don't have that luxury. They fail and are pushed back towards the outspot of the first four teams.
