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Several conference tournaments are already underway while others finish up their regular season games this week. We take a look at how Friday’s results affected bracketology projections ahead of a major weekend in March. It’s a make-or-break time for many teams as they hope to push into the bubble ahead of conference championships.
Key games for bracketology on March 3
Utah Valley 113, Stephen F. Austin 69
Utah Valley closed out their season with a big win over SFA to take the top spot in the WAC standings. However, while their work is done, the fruits of their season have yet to become clear. The WAC seeds its teams for the conference tournament through a resume-strength ranking system developed with Ken Pomeroy of KenPom. Utah Valley was one spot behind Sam Houston ahead of this game, but in making a statement here, they may be able to secure their top seed for the conference tourney.
UNC Asheville 75, Charleston Southern 66
No. 1 seed UNC Asheville advances to the Big South tournament with this win. A victory on Saturday means an automatic bid to March Madness, while a loss would send them to the NIT.
Bubble Watch
New Mexico 84, Colorado State 92
Another loss for New Mexico, a team that was once on the bubble, has placed them at sixth in the Mountain West standings. This means that the Lobos will not receive a first-round bye, significantly lowering their chances of winning the MWC tournament and getting an automatic bid. New Mexico lost three of the last four games of their season.