On The Horizon

Jim Squire

Current NIT Bracketology--NYC Buckets

NIT Tournament Bracket:

Bold: Automatic Bid
Italics: Bubble Teams

1. Illinois
8. Valparaiso
4. Alabama
5. Monmouth
3. Mississippi
6. Texas Tech
2. Houston
7. Richmond

1. Kansas St.
8. Oakland
4. Ohio St.
5. Colorado St.
3. Clemson
6. UCF
2. Georgia
7. UNC Greensboro

Bracket Watch: How conference tournaments could shake up the top seeds--Sports Illustrated

Every day through Selection Sunday we’ll update our Bracket Watch, giving you an up-to-date field of 68 every single day. Each of those columns will begin with a look at the games that night relevant to seeding at the top and in the middle of the field. While the Bubble Watch covers the backend of the field, the Bracket Watch will focus on the teams that are safely in the dance, and what they stand to gain—or lose—every time they take the floor.

Tuesday’s seeding games (all times Eastern, locks are italicized)

Horizon League Championship: Northern Kentucky vs. UW-Milwaukee

It’s No. 4 against No. 10 for the Horizon League title. Northern Kentucky had its path to the championship game cleared in part by Youngstown State, which upset top-seeded Oakland before falling to the Norse in the semifinals on Monday. UW-Milwaukee did its own heavy lifting, knocking off No. 2 Valparaiso and No. 6 Illinois-Chicago to get to the championship game. It’s impossible to overstate how improbable the Panthers run to the brink of the NCAA tournament is. They went 8-23 in the regular season and 4-14 in conference, losing their last nine games in a row. Should they win on Tuesday, they will set a record for most losses by an NCAA tournament team. One of the four conference games they managed to win in the regular season came at the expense of Northern Kentucky. As for the Norse, this is the first year in which they’re eligible for postseason tournaments, after joining Division I in 2012-13. They’re also the hottest team in the conference, winning 11 of their last 13, including the two they’ve won in the tournament.

Horizon League tournament 2017 scores, bracket: N. Kentucky, Milwaukee in final--CBS Sports
N. Kentucky beats Milwaukee 59-53, earns NCAA Tournament bid--CBS Sports
Horizon League Championship Preview: Northern Kentucky meets Milwaukee--Mid-Major Madness
Horizon League Championship: The Norse go Dancing--Mid-Major Madness
College Hoops Viewing Guide For March 7, 2017--Blogging the Bracket

Horizon League Championship

No. 10 Milwaukee Panthers (11-23, 4-14) vs. No. 4 Northern Kentucky Norse (23-10, 12-6), 7 p.m. (ESPN)
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.

While the Panthers last reached the NCAAs in 2014, the Norse are aiming to become the first school to qualify in their first season of Division I postseason eligibility since the North Dakota State Bison did so in 2009. Naturally, Milwaukee would be destined for the First Four in Dayton if they manage to win their fourth game in five days.

Madness Men's Basketball 2016-2017 All High-Major Teams--College Sports Madness

First Team
G Nigel Williams-Goss
Gonzaga
G Marcus Keene
Central Michigan
G/F Paris Lee
Illinois State
F Alec Peters
Valparaiso
F/C Jock Landale
Saint Mary's
...
Fourth Team
G Landry Shamet
Wichita State
G Jaaron Simmons
Ohio
G/F C.J. Bryce
UNC Wilmington
F Jalen Hayes
Oakland
F/C Erik McCree
Louisiana Tech