With so many teams from my Friday Bubble Watch update (and a few others) in action on Saturday. there will be a few changes to my Monday bracket. As a preview, I'll post a new update Sunday evening, after the conclusion of the gold medal hockey game and the day's two Big East bubble matchups.
Marquette at Seton Hall, 12 p.m. ET (Big East Network/Full Court): The Golden Eagles are looking to solidify their place, while the Pirates can move out of the "On The Fringe" group with a big home win.
Louisville at Connecticut, 2 p.m. ET (CBS): The Huskies can get to .500 in the Big East if they can avenge their 13-point loss to the Cardinals at Freedom Hall.
Here's a look back at what happened on Saturday. If a team's name appears as a link, click it to visit that school's SB Nation blog for more coverage and analysis.
All four teams are in action this afternoon, with three involved in favorable matchups.
St. Bonaventure 81, Rhode Island 74 (recap): Jim Baron's club visited his alma mater today and left with a damaging loss. After four losses in five games, the Rams are now on the outside looking in.
UAB 76, Tulane 55 (recap): While it wasn't a great opponent, the Blazers were able to grab an impressive win, something not many teams who are just hanging on couldn't do Saturday.
Oklahoma State 85, No. 1 Kansas 77 (recap): Jayhawk fans hope that this result means a repeat of 2008 is in the cards. Cowboy fans hope this win means they're safer. I can answer the latter group. Oklahoma State is in much better shape with this win than they were 24 hours ago.
George Washington 75, Charlotte 70 (recap): The 49ers stay as a 13 in my Saturday bracket will be a short one, as an ugly road loss at the Smith Center all but knocks them out of the running. Wednesday's game at Rhody looks like it will be for NIT seeding.
San Diego State was off Saturday, but they're in better position because of the carnage that took place elsewhere in the country.
Notre Dame 78, No. 11 Georgetown 64 (recap): The Irish are back in the picture as they followed up Wednesday's easy home win over Pitt with a dominating road victory over the Hoyas. More impressive is the fact that Notre Dame has learned to play without Luke Harangody. Games with UConn in South Bend Wednesday and at Marquette Saturday look very important now.
No. 8 West Virginia 74, Cincinnati 68 (recap): The Bearcats are still looking for a quality late-season win after the Mountaineers came back in Morgantown. Cincy gets two chances this week, Villanova at home and inconsistent Georgetown in D.C.
California 62, Arizona State 46 (recap): The Golden Bears swept the Sun Devils to claim at least a share of the Pac-10 regular season title and the top seed in the conference tournament. Given Cal's high RPI and the early injury to Theo Robertson, they look to be in good shape for an at-large. But if they win in L.A. in two weeks, they'll likely be the league's lone rep.
Mississippi 76, Alabama 73 (recap): The Rebels didn't look that impressive in picking up the win in Tuscaloosa. They'll have to really make a statement in their remaining games (LSU, at Arkansas) to get closer, especially given the quality of opponent.
Mississippi State 76, South Carolina 63 (recap): Jarvis Varnado (19 pts., 12 boards) led the Bulldogs to their third straight win. They now own a two-game lead on Arkansas and Ole Miss in the weak SEC West.
Dayton 96, Massachusetts 68 (recap): The Flyers have a pulse after putting on an offensive show at home against the struggling Minutemen.
Washington 59, Washington State 52 (recap) The Huskies remain in the conversation after sweeping the season series with the Cougars. A road trip to the Oregon schools awaits.
The two teams from this group who were in action Saturday grabbed big wins. Seton Hall will look to do the same against Marquette Sunday.
South Florida 97, Providence 93 (recap): One down, two to go for the Bulls in their quest to reach .500 in the Big East. These two really need to play more often, between this contest and the 109-105 USF OT win in Providence earlier in the season.
Minnesota 62, Illinois 60 (recap): As I discussed with Hail To The Orange Friday, the Illini needed this one with games against Ohio State and Wisconsin to come. They didn't get it. Illinois stays in for the moment, and the Golden Gophers edge closer to the field. Minnesota can't afford to slip up against Michigan and Iowa, however.
Other Games Of Bubble Note
Old Dominion 73, VCU 70 (recap): The Monarchs beat the Rams, avenging a loss in Richmond. Blaine Taylor's squad has the number one seed for the CAA Tournament next weekend.
Maryland 104, Virginia Tech 100 (2OT) (recap): This one was delayed by three hours because of some water main breaks uncovered when a beer truck struck a fire hydrant not far from Cassell Coliseum. The wait was worth it for the Terps, who won a thriller to all but lock up a bid. The Hokies' margin of error just shrunk again, however.
Georgia 78, Florida 76 (recap): The Bulldogs very nearly choked a lead away for the second straight game, but Gator senior Dan Werner tried to pass when he had an open look from 15 feet away. The pass was knocked out of bounds and the Bulldogs prevailed, meaning UF must beat Vanderbilt Wednesday. Kentucky, next Sunday's opponent, isn't the team to face to close out the regular season needing a win.
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Mar 13
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