Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Gonzaga makes big comeback, unofficially locks up No. 1 seed

 Tuesday night saw something we really haven't seen in quite some time: Gonzaga trailing big.

BYU led by as many as 14 in the first half and a took a 12-point lead into the locker room during Tuesday's West Coast championship. But like Lazarus, Gonzaga rose from the dead, led by an incredible effort by Jalen Suggs, including a huge three-pointer late in the game to help put the final daggers into BYU's chances. Suggs' 23 points helped Gonzaga pull off the comeback and win, 88-78, to claim yet another West Coast tournament title. And with that, Gonzaga goes into the NCAAs at 26-0 and, while not official until Sunday, will be the overall No. 1 seed when the brackets are unveiled on Sunday.

Elsewhere, four other schools punched their ticket to the dance. Drexel ended Elon's Cinderella run in the Colonial tournament and their hopes at their first NCAA Tournament. Drexel ended their own tournament drought, as the Dragons are dancing for the first time since 1996. Drexel currently sits as the highest No. 15 seed, with a chance to move up to a 14.

Cleveland State held off a game Oakland team in the Horizon League finals, giving the Vikings their first tournament berth since 2009. With all the upsets in other tournaments, Cleveland State has moved up from the First Four to a 15 seed in a matter of days.

Bryant University was another team looking for their first tournament appearance and had the opportunity to host the Northeast Conference championship. But like Elon, they were denied, as Mount St. Mary's, the conference's No. 4 seed in what was only a four-team tournament, advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017, when they won a game in the First Four. As of now, the Mount looks bound for the First Four.

In the Summit League, Oral Roberts built a 25-point halftime lead against North Dakota State. In the late stages of the game, that lead evaporated. But Oral Roberts survived and is dancing for the first time since 2008. This is also the first time since 2011 (Oakland) that someone other than North Dakota State or South Dakota State claimed the Summit's automatic bid to the NCAAs. Like Mount St. Mary's, Oral Roberts is currently set for the First Four.

With five more bids set, here's your updated field.


Last Four Byes: VCU, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State

Last Four In: Drake, Xavier, Boise State, Colorado State

First Four Out: Utah State, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Saint Louis

Next Four Out: Ole Miss, Stanford, St. John's, Memphis

Bids by Conference:

Big Ten - 9

ACC - 7

Big 12 - 7

SEC - 6

Big East - 4

Pac-12 - 4

Mountain West - 3

American Athletic - 2

Atlantic 10 - 2

Missouri Valley - 2

West Coast - 2

One-bid leagues - 20

Now things really start to get fun, as more power conferences open their tournament action. Here's today's schedule.

ACC Second Round (Greensboro, NC)

No. 9 North Carolina State vs. No. 8 Syracuse, 12:00, ACCN

No. 13 Miami (FL) vs. No. 5 Clemson, 2:30, ACCN

No. 10 Duke vs. No. 7 Louisville, 6:30, ACCN

No. 11 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 North Carolina, 9:00, ACCN

The 8/9 game has some intrigue. NC State has worked their way back into the conversation. The loser is out, the winner still has hope, especially with a date with No. 1 Virginia on the horizon for the winner. As for Duke, this is an absolute must-win. A loss puts them at 12-12 and would spell the end of their run.

Big 12 First Round (Kansas City, MO)

No. 9 Kansas State vs. No. 8 TCU, 6:30, ESPN

No. 10 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Oklahoma, 9:30, ESPN

Big East First Round (New York, NY)

No. 9 Marquette vs. No. 8 Georgetown, 3:00, FS1

No. 10 Butler vs. No. 7 Xavier, 6:00, FS1

No. 11 DePaul vs. No. 6 Providence, 9:00, FS1

Xavier lost in this round to DePaul last year and likely would have burst their bubble had the NCAA tournament happened. They're hoping to avoid the same fate tonight against Butler.

Big Sky First Round (Boise, ID)

No. 9 Sacramento State vs. No. 8 Northern Colorado, 11:00 a.m., Pluto TV

No. 10 Northern Arizona vs. No. 7 Portland State, 2:00, Pluto TV

No. 11 Idaho vs. No. 6 Montana, 5:00, Pluto TV

Big Ten First Round (Indianapolis, IN)

No. 13 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Northwestern, 6:30, BTN

No. 14 Nebraska vs. No. 11 Penn State, 9:00, BTN

Minnesota looks for their first win away from home. They need it bad, and then they need another and another if they want to dance.

Conference USA First Round (Frisco, TX)

East No. 5 Charlotte vs. West No. 4 Texas-San Antonio, 6:30, ESPN+

West No. 6 Rice vs. East No. 3 Marshall, 7:00, ESPN+

West No. 5 UTEP vs. East No. 4 Florida Atlantic, 9:30, ESPN+

East No. 6 Middle Tennessee vs. West No. 3 North Texas, 10:00, ESPN+

MAAC Quarterfinals (Atlantic City, NJ)

No. 9 Iona vs. No. 1 Siena, 5:00, ESPN+

No. 7 Fairfield vs. No. 2 Monmouth, 7:30, ESPN+

Mountain West First Round (Las Vegas, NV)

No. 9 San Jose State vs. No. 8 Wyoming, 2:00, Mountain West Network

No. 10 Air Force vs. No. 7 UNLV, 4:30, MWN

No. 11 New Mexico vs. No. 6 Fresno State, 7:00, MWN

Pac-12 First Round (Las Vegas, NV)

No. 9 Washington State vs. No. 8 Arizona State, 4:00, Pac-12 Network

No. 10 Washington vs. No. 7 Utah, 7:00, Pac-12 Network

No. 11 California vs. No. 6 Stanford, 10:00, Pac-12 Network

Stanford is 2-0 this season against Cal. They need to make it 3-0 to keep any at-large hopes alive. Then they would need to beat Colorado in tomorrow's quarterfinals.

Patriot Semifinals

No. 9 Loyola Maryland at No. 4 Army, 5:30, CBSSN

No. 6 Bucknell at No. 2 Colgate, 7:30, CBSSN

SEC First Round (Nashville, TN)

No. 13 Texas A&M vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt, 7:00, SECN

Southland Second Round (Katy, TX)

No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 5 New Orleans, 6:00, ESPN+

No. 10 Houston Baptist vs. No. 6 Lamar, 9:00, ESPN+

SWAC Quarterfinals (Birmingham, AL)

No. 7 Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. No. 2 Jackson State, 3:00, ESPN3

No. 8 Mississippi Valley State vs. No. 1 Prairie View A&M, 9:30, ESPN3

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