Prelude
Welcome back to Changing of the Guard. A weekly column here at Bracketeer.Org solely focused on the conference races. This will be your one-stop shop each week to see what is happening in each league race for the regular-season crown for all 32 leagues.
Some leagues provide us with a different leader or a proverbial “Changing of the Guard” at the top of the standings each and every week. Other leagues, may have one team run away with it from wire to wire. No matter how it shakes up, we will be here to provide the summary for you. If you happen to be new to Bracketeer this season, conference race changes are leveraged in each Bracket Forecast update to A) Exhibit a variety of outcomes within the Bracket that could very well be in play come March and B) Give more schools notoriety for the stellar play and achievements during the regular season.
The Disruptors
Dedicated section for teams who may not make it to the top of the league standings but did an impeccable job this past week disrupting the race.
TCU - The Horned Frogs shook up the national picture and the Big 12 race by going into Phog Allen Fieldhouse and taking down Kansas by a whopping 23 points. If you missed the historic TCU win, here are the highlights:
Oklahoma State - The Cowboys’ win over Iowa State was not nearly as loud as the TCU win above, but it was just as important in disrupting the Big 12 race. The Cowboys came all the way back from a 16-point hole to beat a very good Cyclones team. It was a matchup of the two best defenses in the conference and no easy baskets were given. A great win for the Pokes, who are in the think of a cloudy bubble picture right now.
Kentucky - Funny that we now have witnessed the Wildcats spoil the SEC race on two straight weekends. Last week it was knocking off Tennessee from the ranks of the unbeaten, and Saturday it was Texas A&M who got a taste of the Wildcat medicine. Antonio Reeves came off the bench to lead UK with 23 points in the win over the previously perfect Aggies.
New Mexico - Cooled off the Broncos eventually in a classic Mountain West thriller on Friday Night. The disruptive win created a large tie for second place and propelled the San Diego State Aztecs into first place.
George Washington - The Colonials really have improved lately and it showed on Saturday in a win over Dayton that surprised many. The Dayton loss knocked the first place quandry down to just VCU and Saint Louis. Most importantly to GW is the fact that they are 4-2 and within striking distance of the top now.
Houston Christian - The Huskies played well in a 91-79 win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The loss for the Islanders sent them down into third place and off the Southland Standings perch.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff - Shaun Doss continues to show why he is one of the most gifted players in the SWAC. Doss had 23 points and the Lions became the first team to beat Southern U. in league play. The Jaguars loss sent them into a shared lead with Alcorn State.
Changing Of The Guard
A brief summary (this will be reflected on the upcoming Bracketology Big Board) of who our new league leaders are, following this weekend’s action.
MEAC - Howard Bison
OVC - UT Martin Skyhawks
Conference Race Recap for All 32 Leagues
Big12 – For the second time this week, Kansas (5-2) fell. This time at home in a rout vs. TCU by 23. Kansas State (6-1) took advantage by beating Texas Tech in come from behind fashion. Markquis Nowell (23 Pts.) had his sixth game north of 20 points. Iowa State (5-2) lost a 16-point lead at Oklahoma State and the game ultimately. So, it is just the Wildcats of KSU left with one loss.
B1G – Purdue (7-1) owns this grip in first place no matter what happens on Sunday vs. Maryland. Four teams have three losses, who are next in line.
Big East – Xavier (8-1) shook off its mid-week loss to DePaul by defeating Georgetown, 95-82. Zach Freemantle had a tremendous 30-point, 11 rebounds, and seven assist day for the Musketeers. Marquette (8-2) is the stiffest competition out there for now. The Golden Eagles had an impressive 74-53 road win at Seton Hall on Saturday.
SEC – Alabama (7-0) obtained a little breathing room on Saturday. The Crimson Tide are not only perfect in league play, but they’ve won every game by double-digits! Texas A&M (5-1) finally fell from the ranks of the unbeatens on Saturday. The Aggies took a competitive loss at Kentucky, 76-67. Alabama next will host Mississippi State on Wednesday.
Pac-12 – UCLA (8-1) got off to a decent start in the showdown at Arizona, then fell on tough times. Particularly shooting from the outside (just 4-for-20 from deep). Arizona took over from about midway thru the first half on, and later held on for a scrappy 58-52 win. The Bruins still hold a two-game lead over the ‘Cats, Utah, USC, and Arizona State – who have three losses each.
ACC – Clemson (8-1) held on for another dramatic win at Littlejohn Coliseum over a hungry Virginia Tech program, 51-50. The Hokies had a clean look to win it late, but Hunter Cattoor’s three-point look from the wing fell short. The Tigers have Virginia (7-2) on their heels. Cavs got a nice road win at Wake Forest on Saturday. In the next week, Clemson hosts Georgia Tech on Tuesday before a road trip to Florida State.
MWC – San Diego State (6-1) got a good challenge at Air Force before finally putting the Falcons away in the final minute, 70-60. Aztecs have first place to themselves now following the thrilling New Mexico (5-2) win over Boise State (5-2) in OT on Friday night. That makes up two of four parts in the logjam for second place. Utah State (5-2) snuck past San Jose State on Saturday by one point. Nevada (5-2) has the weekend off but is hosting the Lobos this Monday night in a showdown.
AAC – Houston (6-0) is gearing up to face Temple (5-2) in the Fertitta Center on Sunday. Owls (5-2) are in second place and can capture the attention of the nation if they pull off a stunner.
WCC – Saint Mary’s (7-0) passed another test with flying colors by beating Santa Clara, 77-58. The Gaels now have the sixth-best adjusted defensive efficiency in the country. Gonzaga (6-1) struggled a big at Pacific, but ultimately won, 99-90. The leading Gaels are now off until next Saturday when they will face a road test at BYU.
CUSA – Florida Atlantic (9-0) has won three road games since Monday! The Owls keep chugging along, and two of the tests – at WKU and at UTEP are difficult venues to win at. The rest of the league has been beating each other up. The next teams in line all have three losses now: North Texas, Middle Tennessee, and Rice. FAU will host Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky this coming week in Boca Raton.
A 10 – VCU (6-1) is starting to roll now. Usually, the Battle of Richmond is a tight nailbiter that is a 50/50 game. This past Friday, the Rams made quick work with its rival Spiders on the road, 74-62. Rams are now prepping for another regional rival on Wednesday, George Mason. Saint Louis (6-1) kept pace on Saturday by defeating La Salle, 84-71. The Billikens now turn its attention to a road game at Davidson this coming Friday. As mentioned earlier, George Washington is responsible for knocking Dayton out of first all together right now - here are the highlights:
WAC – Seattle U. (7-0) is on an absolute roll. Saturday, the Redhawks took care of a previously-hot Southern Utah team quite easily, 81-60. A ton of credit goes to the perimeter defense for Seattle U., who held the Thunderbirds to an anemic 1-for-25 (4%) three-point shooting. Utah Valley (7-1) showed a lot resiliency by winning at the always rowdy Grand Canyon Lopes. Seattle U. now gets ready for its most challenging week of the WAC season thus far, as the Redhawks head to Sam Houston on Thursday, followed by Stephen F. Austin on Saturday. UVU will play at Southern Utah in a tough one, and then host the surprisingly winless New Mexico State Aggies next weekend.
Ivy – Princeton (5-1) rallied late to force OT and prevent an upset vs. Dartmouth. The Tigers ultimately prevailed, 93-90. All five Tigers scored in double figures, led by a double-double from Caden Pierce (17 & 13), the Frosh. Cornell (4-2) took a loss at Harvard and now fall to second place. Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown, and Yale are all tied for third at 3-3 right now. Keep in mind that only four total teams advance to Ivy Madness in March.
MVC – Southern Illinois (8-2) picked up a difficult road win at Missouri State. Belmont (8-2) achieved an even tougher road win at Bradley. The Salukis and Bruins come out of this weekend feeling great about themselves, both are playing excellent ball. SIU will host Murray State on Tuesday. Belmont heads to Evansville for a Wednesday Evening matchup.
Sun Belt – Marshall (6-2) had a rough meltdown in the end of regulation to allow Arkansas State to force OT today. After that, it was all Thundering Herd in OT to earn a nine-point win. Southern Miss (6-2) passed a test on Saturday against James Madison, 83-70. Louisiana (6-2) won its fourth straight road game on Saturday, this time at Texas State, 60-51.
Big West – UC Santa Barbara (7-1) rolled over Cal State Bakersfield, 76-58, to maintain control of the race. UC Irvine (6-1) has the weekend off and will next play at Cal State Fullerton, this Thursday night. UC Riverside (7-2) ran out of magic on Saturday as Hawai’i (6-2) got them, 67-63. Four really good teams here at the top.
SoCon – Samford (8-0) keeps winning, and even better the return of Ques Glover (out since December) occurred. Bulldogs took down Western Carolina, 74-65. UNCG (7-1) continues to hang tough in second place. The Spartans shut down Mercer in a 59-48 slugfest.
MAC – Kent State (6-0) rolled past Ball State on National TV this past Friday night. The Golden Flashes will head to Northern Illinois on Tuesday before hosting Buffalo on Friday next week. Akron (5-1) got a road win at Western Michigan on Saturday. Zips are hosting both Miami-Ohio and Ohio U. next week.
ASUN – Kennesaw State (7-1) is off to its best start since becoming a D1 school. The Owls had a nailbiting victory at Florida Gulf Coast, 65-63. Liberty (7-1) got an impressive double-digit road win at North Florida, a UNF team who is typically tough at home. KSU and Liberty only play each other once this season (Feb 16th). So we have some time before any crash collisions transpire. The Owls host Austin Peay this Thursday. Flames will host a tough Stetson team on the same night.
Big Sky – Eastern Washington (8-0) refuses to lose! The Eagles got a road win done once again on Saturday. This time it was at Northern Arizona by three. The Eagles lead the league by two games in the loss column over Montana State (6-2) and Weber State (5-2). EWU will host Idaho State this coming Thursday Night.
Horizon – Milwaukee (8-2) picked up an impressive victory over Youngstown State in a shootout, 88-75. BJ Freeman for the Panthers went for 30 points to lead the way. Northern Kentucky (8-2) stymied a solid Purdue Fort Wayne program to the tune of a 74-54 drubbing. The Norse host Milwaukee next Saturday, and the calendar is circled for that one!
MAAC – Siena (7-1) trailed at halftime, then blitzed Mount St. Mary’s in the second half and the competitive game ended up looking like a laugher, 72-57. The Saints remain one game clear of Iona (6-2), who survived a great battle with rival Manhattan on Friday night. Iona now has Sunday off and will have the showdown at Siena next Friday. Before the Saints can focus on Iona, they host Fairfield on Sunday.
Big South – UNC Asheville (7-1) and Longwood (7-1) had sluggish days on Saturday but both found a way to win. UNCA grinded back in it to overcome USC Upstate, 64-58, and Longwood was neck-and-neck with Presbyterian all day, before finally winning, 58-56. Bulldogs still own the H2H tiebreaker and remain in the forecasted NCAA bracket.
CAA – It was a Boston Tea Party at High Noon for the Charleston Cougars (9-0). Cougars thoroughly enjoyed their time in Boston as they smoked the host Northeastern, 87-61. Hofstra, Towson, and Drexel share the second-place honors at 6-2. UNCW has fallen off this past week and now has three losses.
Summit – Oral Roberts (8-0) had a test from North Dakota for a while on Saturday. Once again the Golden Eagles found a way to finish the job, 84-72. A special season is happening for the small Christian school in Tulsa. Up next is back-to-back home tilts with Denver and Nebraska-Omaha.
America East – Binghamton (4-1) is the biggest surprise conference leader on the board. The Bearcats are still ranked #312 in KenPom, but really doing what it takes to win in the conference. Binghamton is in action on Sunday at Maine, let’s see if they can get to 5-1? UMass-Lowell (4-2) is also hosting Bryant (4-2) in a game certainly worthy of your attention.
Patriot League – Colgate (8-0) had their biggest scare on Saturday, yet still found a way to hang on and beat American, 62-61. Lehigh (6-2) is now in second place after winning its sixth game in a row, over Lafayette 61-49. Colgate is back on the court this Monday at Boston U.
MEAC – Morgan State (3-1) was hot before Saturday, I promise you. You wouldn’t have known that watching Saturday’s 88-55 blowout loss at the hands of Howard (3-1). Norfolk State (3-1) took out some frustration against Coppin State on the road, 96-65. NSU had lost to Howard on a tough result in its previous game. N.C. Central (3-1) joined the party after gliding past Delaware State, 74-55. Maryland-Eastern Shore (3-1) is also in the five-way mix following a road win at South Carolina State, 76-70.
Ohio Valley – SIU Edwardsville (5-3) is mostly to blame for the OVC now having a six-way tie at the top. If you thought the five-way tie in the MEAC was crazy, get a load of this. SIUE had a tough week, losing to both Morehead State (5-3) and Southern Indiana (5-3). Two friends now at the top with the Cougars. Tennessee Tech (5-3) could have taken over themselves, but eventually lost a tough double OT game to SEMO (5-3), who themselves joined the party! Then we have Tennessee-Martin (5-3) who got a nice 91-78 victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday.
Here is how we scored it for Tiebreakers this week. The record among each of the six when they play each other:
-UT Martin 3-2 (1 Road Win)
-Southern Indiana* 3-2 (1)
-SEMO 3-3 (1)
-Tennessee Tech 2-2 (1)
-SIU Edwardsville 2-3 (1)
-Morehead State 2-3 (1)
Skyhawks to the Field for this week! That is how close this is. BTW, the same process was used above for the MEAC, and Howard won out and will also be in the next Bracket.
Southland – Texas A&M Corpus Christi (4-3) had a tough week, dropping to both Lamar and Houston Christian from the bottom half of the league. Nicholls (5-2) took advantage of the opportunity and sweep McNeese this week in two games against the Cowboys this week. Southeastern Louisiana (5-2) also kept pace on Saturday with a win over D1 newcomers, TAMU-Commerce, 79-73. Nicholls did get a win over SELA back in December for tiebreaker purposes, and the Colonels will represent the Southland in the next bracket forecast.
SWAC – Southern U. (5-1) dropped its first SWAC game on Saturday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 62-55. This creates a tie at the top with Alcorn State (5-1). The Braves are back to full strength now and have won five straight including a 57-47 waltz over Florida A&M.
NEC – Fairleigh Dickinson (5-1) let go of a seven-point halftime lead as the Knights witnessed a spirited comeback effort by Sacred Heart (4-2) to fall, 92-85, and drop its first NEC game of the campaign. St. Francis (PA) took care of St. Francis (NY) handily, 87-61 and that brings us back to a first-place tie.