Wednesday night saw several important Bubble Watch matchups, with UConn, Mississippi State and Charlotte suffering the most damaging defeats. Notre Dame is in better position, thanks to their win over the Huskies, while Rhode Island got a boost by defeating the 49ers.
Notre Dame And Rhode Island In Better Position After Wednesday; UConn, UAB, Miss. State In Trouble
UAB is in real trouble, however, as Memphis completed a season sweep of the Blazers by grabbing a victory at Bartow Arena.
If a team’s name appears as a link, click it to visit that school’s SB Nation blog for more coverage and analysis.
Team statuses are based on my Wednesday morning update.
Last Four In
Notre Dame 58, Connecticut 50 (recap): The Fighting Irish (20-10; 9-8 Big East) have a little more breathing room after they handled a Husky team (17-13; 7-10 Big East) who couldn’t get things to click offensively Wednesday night in South Bend. Those records you see are indeed correct. UConn cannot even finish at .500 in the conference, with a game at USF remaining Saturday, while Notre Dame will grab their 10th league win if they are victorious at Marquette Saturday.
Auburn 89, Mississippi State 80 (recap): Just after jumping in my projection, the Bulldogs (21-9; 9-6 SEC) drop right back out after falling to a Tiger team that isn't even NIT material at the moment.
San Diego State 68, Colorado State 55 (recap) The Aztecs (19-8; 10-5 MWC) handled the Rams in their home finale. You can read more about this one at our Mountain West Connection blog.
Memphis 70, UAB 65 (recap): The Tigers (22-8; 12-3 C-USA) swept the Blazers (23-6; 11-4 C-USA), making Mike Davis' squad's position even more precarious. UAB's next challenge is a stiff one, as they visit regular season champion UTEP on Saturday.
First Four Out/Next Four Out
Rhode Island 80, Charlotte 58 (recap): The Rams (21-7; 9-6 A-10) are in much better position after they got a big second half to blow out the 49ers (19-10; 9-6 A-10). Meanwhile, Bobby Lutz’s team looks destined for the NIT.
Other Games Of Importance
Florida State 51, Wake Forest 47 (recap): The Demon Deacons (18-9; 8-7 ACC) lost their fourth straight, thanks to no points for Al-Faroq Aminu and 19 turnovers. That means they're in real trouble with a home game with Clemson looming on Sunday. The Seminoles, meanwhile, are in good shape at 21-8 and 9-6.
Virginia Tech 71, N.C. State 59 (recap): The Hokies (22-7; 9-6 ACC) snapped their three-game losing streak and gave themselves some breathing room with a trip to Georgia Tech on the slate for Saturday.
Texas A&M 76, Oklahoma State 61 (recap): The Aggies split the season series with the Cowboys, keeping Oklahoma State from locking down a bid.
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