Since conference tournament action is moving fast and furious, I want to take this opportunity to point out where the Bubble Watch teams currently stand in terms of game action from here on out.
Thursday Recap/Friday Preview: Who’s Finished? Who Has Games Left?
Promoted Up From Bubble Watch
Marquette beat Villanova, 80-76 (recap), in the Big East Quarterfinals Thursday. They'll play Georgetown in Friday's semifinals, but the Golden Eagles are in good shape if they lose.
Notre Dame also got a win Thursday, as they topped Pittsburgh, 50-45 (recap). The Fighting Irish will face a West Virginia team who's playing for a top seed.
Oklahoma State followed up their win over Oklahoma Wednesday with an 83-64 loss to second-seeded Kansas State Thursday (recap).
Virginia Tech, idle on Thursday, plays Miami in the ACC Quarterfinals Friday. The four seed in the ACC is in better shape thanks to the carnage below them on the S-curve.
Waiting For Selection Sunday
UAB is likely on the outside looking in after they failed to beat Southern Mississippi, 58-44 (recap), in the Conference USA Quarterfinals Thursday.
Arizona State looks to be out of the running after they lost their Pac-10 Quarterfinal to Stanford, 70-61 (recap).
Charlotte is off the board after they lost to Massachusetts at home in the Atlantic 10 Opening Round Tuesday.
Cincinnati had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but Dion Dixon couldn't hold on to the ball and Da'Sean Butler banked in a three when time expired to give West Virginia a 54-51 win (recap) and burst the Bearcats bubble.
Louisville is in good shape even though they lost to Cincinnati in the Big East Second Round Wednesday.
Memphis, like UAB, is finished, as they lost their Conference USA Quarterfinal against Houston, 66-65 (recap).
Seton Hall and South Florida are both likely finished after they lost Big East Second Round games Wednesday.
On the other hand, Wake Forest should hold on to a spot even though they were slammed by Miami by an 83 to 62 (recap) score in the ACC Opening Round Thursday.
Wichita State lost their chance when they fell to Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley final Sunday.
Keep an eye on William & Mary, even though they lost to Old Dominion in the Colonial Athletic Association final Monday. They have enough quality wins to make a solid case, but some headscratching losses may keep them out.
Games Still To Play
Now that I’ve looked at the teams who won’t make another appearance in one of these recap/preview posts, here are the teams who will be in action Friday.
Just Above The Last Four In
California cruised past Oregon, 90-74 (recap), in the Pac-10 Quarterfinals on Thursday. The Golden Bears face UCLA in Friday's semifinals at 9 p.m. ET (FSN/Comcast SportsNet). Cal and UCLA split their season series, with each winning on the road.
Florida held off Auburn in the SEC Opening Round Thursday, 78-69 (recap). The Gators will next face "Next Four Out" team Mississippi State in Friday's Quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network/Full Court). Florida beat Miss. State by seven in Gainesville.
Georgia Tech defeated North Carolina, 62-58 (recap), in the ACC Opening Round Thursday. The Yellow Jackets will face Maryland Friday at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2 or Raycom). The Yellow Jackets lost to the Terps on a buzzer beater in College Park.
Last Four In
Mississippi faces Tennessee in the SEC Quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. ET Friday (SEC Network/Full Court). The Rebels lost a two-point overtime decision to the Volunteers in Knoxville during the regular season.
Washington came back to beat Oregon State, 59-52 (recap), late Thursday. They'll next play Stanford in the 11:30 p.m. ET semifinal (FSN/Comcast SportsNet) Friday. The Huskies handled the Cardinal twice during the regular season, but not facing the Sun Devils in the semifinal deprives them of a potential quality win.
San Diego State slipped past Colorado State, 72-71 (recap), in Thursday's Mountain West Quarters. The Aztecs will play top-seeded New Mexico in Friday's semifinals at 9 p.m. ET (CBS College Sports). This is a good matchup for San Diego State, as they beat the Lobos at home and lost by two in overtime at The Pit.
First Four Out
Rhode Island takes on St. Louis in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET (check local listings). The Billikens beat the Rams by five at home on February 17.
Dayton faces archrival Xavier in the A-10 Quarters Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET (check local listings). The Flyers lost by four in Cincinnati, but defeated the Musketeers by 25 at home.
On The Fringe
Minnesota blew out Penn State, 76-55 (recap), in the Big Ten Opening Round Thursday. The Golden Gophers will meet Michigan State in the final quarterfinal on Friday at 9 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network). The Spartans won two meetings in the span of 10 days, winning by seven at the Breslin Center and by a single point at Williams Arena.
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