Northern Iowa And Louisville Stumble, Florida And Illinois Pick Up Key Wins

Bubble teams across the country got a boost when No. 25 Northern Iowa fell at Evansville, the last place team in the Missouri Valley, by a 55-54 score. That Aces win, only their second in the league all season and eighth overall, really hurts the Panthers’ at-large hopes. If UNI doesn’t win Arch Madness next weekend, their tourney hopes could be sunk.

Louisville, who checked in as a 9 seed in Monday’s edition of Bracketology, suffered a damaging, but certainly not fatal, loss at home to 11th-ranked Georgetown, falling 70-60. The Cardinals could be in real trouble, however, if they lose at resurgent UConn on Sunday. Visit our Louisville blog, Card Chronicle, and our Georgetown blog, Casual Hoya, for complete postgame reaction.

For the 12th straight season, Florida has won 20 games. The Gators are guaranteed of a winning SEC mark, as they topped No.19 Tennessee, 75-62, to grab their ninth conference win. The victory was Florida’s first over an SEC opponent who doesn’t reside in the West Division or the bottom of the East. The Gators next head to Athens to take on Georgia Saturday. Check out our Florida blog, Alligator Army, and our Tennessee blog, Rocky Top Talk, for more.

Seton Hall won the first of two late season meetings with Rutgers, prevailing 76-70 in Newark. The two meet again in Piscataway next Thursday. In between, the Pirates (16-10, 7-8 Big East) will attempt to get to .500 in the league at home against Marquette on Sunday. That game is Seton Hall’s last one this year against a team with NCAA hopes. Head over to our Pirates blog, Gonzo Ball, and our Rutgers blog, Protect R Turf, for more reaction to the Garden State Battle.