Men’s basketball Games of the Week 2/27 – 3/2
This is it, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the final full week of the regular season. Some of these games do not have any bearing on conferences, they just happen to be good matchups. Other games will decide conference titles or at least help set up good seedings in conference tournaments. Until then, enjoy the last week. March Madness is just around the corner! (Note: Most games from Wednesday through Friday are conference-tournament openers, which may not produce the best results or feature the best matchups. But that’s why they call it March Madness.)
No. 22 NOTRE DAME at No. 12 GEORGETOWN (7 p.m. Monday at Verizon Center in Washington D.C.)
With Syracuse having locked away the Big East championship and the top seed in the postseason tournament, the action shifts to the teams underneath. Notre Dame (20-9, 12-4) just came off a damaging 61-58 loss to St. Johns, a loss that might have cost the Irish a No. 2 seed in the Big East tournament. Now Notre Dame has to beat Georgetown (21-6, 11-5) and hope Marquette loses along the way. Notre Dame has beaten Marquette already, 76-59, so the Irish would have the No. 2 seed behind Syracuse. As for this game, Georgetown has a slight edge by virtue of its top 100 showing in rebounds, assists and shooting percentage. Notre Dame is pretty much middle of the pack in everything else.
No. 5 MICHIGAN STATE at No. 19 INDIANA (7 p.m. Tuesday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana)
Up until Sunday, this game could have had significant implications on the Big Ten Conference race. However, Wisconsin’s 69-60 upset of Ohio State handed Michigan State the Big Ten title and rendered the conference race meaningless. Michigan State (24-5, 13-3) beat Indiana 80-65 at East Lansing, but Assembly Hall is a whole different story. All but one of the losses by Indiana (22-7, 9-7) were on the road. The Hoosiers could give Michigan State some fits in the game, but the Spartans will treat this game like any other. The No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament is safe, but Michigan State is still fighting for a No. 1 seed in one of the four NCAA regions. A double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds by Draymond Green helped MSU beat Nebraska 62-34 in the last game, while Indiana topped Minnesota 69-50.
No. 17 FLORIDA at VANDERBILT (9 p.m. Tuesday at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tennessee)
Like the Big East, the Southeastern Conference race is already decided. Kentucky is still undefeated and leads the SEC by four games over Florida and five games over Vanderbilt. This game will decide second place in the SEC and the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. A win by Florida would put the Gators (22-7, 10-4) two games up on Vanderbilt with one game remaining. The Gators have Kentucky at the end in what could be a strong end-of-season matchup. Vanderbilt (20-9, 9-5) needs a win here to have a shot at that No. 2 seed, which it would earn if the Commodores win Tuesday and Kentucky beats Florida over the weekend. Bradley Beal’s 19 points and 12 rebounds were key as the Gators lost to Georgia 76-62 in the last game, while Vanderbilt lost 83-74 to Kentucky as Jeffery Taylor had 19 points and nine rebounds.
XAVIER at SAINT LOUIS (9 p.m. Tuesday at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri)
The odds are likely Temple will win the Atlantic 10 Conference title, because the Owls face Massachusetts and Fordham at the end. That leaves Xavier and Saint Louis fighting for second place in the A-10, and it could be an interesting fight. Xavier (18-10, 9-5) is two games behind Temple and a game behind Saint Louis (22-6, 10-4). If the Billikens win, they clinch at least second place in the league and at least the No. 2 seed, and they still have an outside shot at tying for the title. A win by Xavier throws the race for the second seed into chaos, because St. Bonaventure is still in contention. Xavier is 3-3 since February 4, including losses to Memphis, Temple and Massachusetts. Saint Louis just lost to last-place Rhode Island in a 64-62 shocker, giving further proof March Madness isn’t limited to March.
WEBER STATE at MONTANA (9 p.m. Tuesday at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Montana)
It is the situation every conference, every school, every college basketball player dreams of often. Two schools fighting for the league title and it’s the last game of the regular season. That’s the situation in the Big Sky Conference, as Weber State and Montana are way ahead of the league competition, tied for first and fighting Tuesday for the championship. Weber State (23-4, 14-1) has won seven in a row and knocked off Montana 80-64 earlier in the season. Damian Lillard scored 30 points in an 88-71 win over Northern Colorado. Montana (22-6, 14-1) hasn’t lost since a January 14 defeat against Weber State, a span of 11 games. The Grizzlies beat Montana State 57-47 in their last contest.
