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It’s that time of year. FSU’s tourney chances were given a huge boost when they came back from an 18-point deficit to beat Clemson. But there is still work to do.
And FSU’s seed - or whether or not they even dance - is hugely impacted by what the other 350 Division I teams do with the rest of their schedules.
Hence the need for rooting guides. In tonight’s action, who should you be rooting for in order to help the Seminoles position? Bracketmatrix.com hasn’t been updated to reflect the win over Clemson, but if the season ended today Florida State would likely be in the 8/9 matchup.
To the games!
No. 5 Cincinnati at Houston (7 PM, CBS Sports)
Houston is projected as a 10-seed, while FSU has zero chance of catching Cincy. Go Bearcats!
Temple at No. 19 Wichita State (7 PM, ESPN2)
Temple is well behind FSU, while Wichita State is at least a couple of seed lines ahead. I think the chances of catching the Shockers is greater than the chances of being caught by the Owls. Let’s do this Temple!
No. 8 Ohio State at Penn State (8 PM, BTN)
If you think FSU is going to finish strong then Ohio State losing at Penn State is key to get them sliding back toward the ‘Noles. If you think FSU is going to squeeze into the dance, then it’s best that the Buckeyes take care of a bubble team.
No. 17 Arizona at No. 25 Arizona State (9 PM, ESPN)
See Cincy-Houston. No chance of catching Arizona, while Arizona State is a seed or two ahead of FSU. We don’t want the Sun Devils picking up a big home win. Cats!
Utah at Washington (9 PM, Pac-12)
Washington is probably just safe inside the bubble. A home loss to Utah would change that. Go Utes!
Oregon at USC (9 PM, ESPN2)
Oregon is toast. USC is in First-4 territory. Ducks!
No. 15 St. Mary’s at San Francisco (11 PM, ESPNU)
Outside of games vs Gonzaga, SMC has few chances for resume wins, and lots of chances to lay an egg. This is one. The Gaels are ahead of FSU, but a loss at San Francisco might change that.
Oregon State at UCLA (11 PM, FS1)
If UCLA loses this one, they’ll need to finish the season on fire just to make the dance. OSU, baby.
Out of conference foes in action: Southern Miss, Charleston Southern, The Citadel