Saint Mary’s sure looks like it should be in the NCAA tournament.
Patrick Mills is healthy. And while he was rusty last night, the Gaels have a pretty good case to be in the 65-team field.
SEE RELATED:
Well, other than really good victories.
They’ve beaten San Diego State and Utah State, which is nice but not overwhelming. A win tonight on a neutral floor against Gonzaga, obviously, will take care of matters entirely.
If not, staying close is important. Saint Mary’s, like everyone else, is in the business of not providing excuses for exclusion. Looking bad on national TV or losing Friday’s just-thrown-together game against Eastern Washington would qualify as a reason to be left out.
But for now, they’re in this projection. As for everyone else, read on. …
MIDWEST REGION
Dayton, Ohio
(1) Pittsburgh vs. (16) SWAC/Alabama State-BIG WEST/Cal State Northridge
(8) Ohio State vs. (9) Tennessee
Portland, Ore.
(4) Clemson vs. (13) SUN BELT/Western Kentucky
(5) UCLA vs. (12) MISSOURI VALLEY/Northern Iowa
Kansas City, Mo.
(3) BIG 12/Kansas vs. (14) SUMMIT/North Dakota State
(6) Purdue vs. (11) Arizona
Greensboro, N.C.
(2) Wake Forest vs. (15) ATLANTIC SUN/East Tennessee State
(7) MOUNTAIN WEST/Utah vs. (10) MAAC/Siena
SOUTH REGION
Greensboro, N.C.
(1) ACC/North Carolina vs. (16) BIG SOUTH/Radford
(8) Oklahoma State vs. (9) Wisconsin
Boise, Idaho
(4) ATLANTIC 10/Xavier vs. (13) SOUTHLAND/Stephen F. Austin
(5) Syracuse vs. (12) CAA/Virginia Commonwealth
Philadelphia
(3) Villanova vs. (14) AMERICA EAST/Binghamton
(6) Texas A&M vs. (11) Saint Mary’s
Minneapolis
(2) BIG TEN/Michigan State vs. (15) NEC/Robert Morris
(7) California vs. (10) WAC/Utah State
EAST REGION
Philadelphia
(1) Connecticut vs. (16) MEAC/Morgan State
(8) Brigham Young vs. (9) Dayton
Boise, Idaho
(4) Missouri vs. (13) Miami
(5) WCC/Gonzaga vs. (12) Penn State
Miami
(3) Duke vs. (14) SOUTHERN/Charleston
(6) Arizona State vs. (11) Florida
Minneapolis
(2) CONFERENCE USA/Memphis vs. (15) MAC/Buffalo
(7) West Virginia vs. (10) Minnesota
WEST REGION
Dayton, Ohio
(1) BIG EAST/Louisville vs. (16) OHIO VALLEY/Morehead State
(8) Texas vs. (9) SEC/Louisiana State
Miami
(4) Florida State vs. (13) PATRIOT/American
(5) Illinois vs. (12) UNLV
Portland, Ore.
(3) PAC-10/Washington vs. (14) BIG SKY/Weber State
(6) HORIZON/Butler vs. (11) MIchigan
Kansas City, Mo.
(2) Oklahoma vs. (15) IVY/Cornell
(7) Marquette vs. (10) Boston College
Last four in: Miami, UNLV, Penn State, Florida
Last four out: Maryland, New Mexico, South Carolina, Providence
Next four out: Southern California, Virginia Tech, Creighton, Auburn
Multi-bid leagues: Big Ten (8), ACC (7), Big East (7), Big 12 (6), Pac-10 (5), SEC (3), Mountain West (3), A-10 (2), WCC (2)
Moving in: Binghamton, College of Charleston, East Tennessee State, Miami, Morehead State, Northern Iowa, Saint Mary’s
Moving out: Creighton, Davidson, Jacksonville, Maryland, UT Martin, Vermont, Virginia Tech
—- Patrick Stevens
