I Slept On It: Nebraska, Dayton, SEC Teams Grab Key Wins

"I Slept On It" is Blogging the Bracket's nearly daily roundup of the previous night's college basketball action, with a bracketology focus.

American

Louisville (25-5, 14-3) knocked SMU (23-7, 12-5) out of the title hunt, as Russ Smith (26 points, six of six from three) and Montrezl Harrell (19 points) put on a show at Moody Coliseum. Shabazz Napier scored 26 for Connecticut (24-6, 12-5), which held off Rutgers (11-19, 5-12), 69-63, in Storrs.

Atlantic 10

Dayton (21-9, 8-6) will crash today's bracket after picking up a huge 72-67 victory at Saint Louis (25-5, 12-3). The Billikens still clinched the top seed in the upcoming A 10 Tournament thanks to St. Joseph's (21-8, 11-4) 76-71 loss at George Washington (22-7, 10-5). UMass (23-6, 10-5), meanwhile, just avoided becoming Duquesne's (12-16, 4-11) second high-profile upset victim in the span of a week. The Minutemen prevailed in Pittsburgh by a 78-74 score.

ACC

Duke's (23-7, 12-5) push for a No. 1 seed came to a screeching halt in Winston-Salem, where Wake Forest (16-14, 6-11) used a 19-6 run to close out an upset win over the Blue Devils.

Big 12

Kansas (23-7, 14-3) keeps rolling, as the Jayhawks crushed Texas Tech (13-17, 5-12), 82-57, in Lawrence. On the other hand, TCU (9-20, 0-17) gave Texas (22-8, 11-6) a battle before falling, 66-54. Meanwhile, Oklahoma (22-8, 11-6)
all but ended West Virginia's (16-14, 8-9) remaining hopes with a 72-62 win in Norman.

Big Ten

Nebraska (18-11, 10-7) will enter Thursday's bracket following an 80-70 win at fellow bubble team Indiana (17-13, 7-10). Walter Pitchford and Shavon Shields each scored 17 for the Huskers on the night. In the second game of the night, Wisconsin (25-5, 12-5) picked up its eighth win in a row by toppling Purdue (15-15, 5-12),

Mountain West

There will be a clash for the conference title in San Diego on Saturday night. First, New Mexico (24-5, 15-2) defeated Air Force (11-17, 5-12) handily, 80-52, in Albuquerque. Then, San Diego State (26-3, 15-2) used a strong late push to get UNLV (19-11, 10-7) at the Thomas & Mack, 73-64.

Pac-12

Colorado (21-9, 10-7) won the conference's bubble showdown of the night, picking up a huge 59-56 victory at Stanford (18-11, 9-8). The Cardinal are now a bit closer to the cut line, while the Buffaloes are just a bit safer than on Wednesday morning. California (18-12, 9-8), however, is in serious trouble, following a 63-59 home loss to Utah (20-9, 9-8). League champion Arizona (28-2, 15-2) prevailed at Oregon State (15-14, 7-10), but not without a real fight from the Beavers, who eventually fell by a 74-69 score.

SEC

For the most part it was a good night for the conference's bubble aspirants. Georgia (17-12, 11-6), the team furthest from the field but closest to a quarterfinal bye in Atlanta, routed Mississippi State (13-17, 3-14), 66-45. Tennessee (19-11, 10-7), the lone hopeful that had to go on the road, took the hammer to Auburn (13-15, 5-12) early before prevailing, 82-54. Arkansas (21-9, 10-7) absolutely obliterated Mississippi (17-13, 8-9), 110-80. However, Missouri (21-9, 9-8) barely got by Texas A&M (17-13, 8-9) after an ending that included a pair of controversial reviews, 57-56.

Elsewhere

Big South Opening Round

Higher seeds won three of the four games in Myrtle Beach on Wednesday.

No. 4 (S) Winthrop (18-12, 11-6) eliminated No. 5 (N) Liberty (11-21, 5-12), 77-65, knocking 2013's champs out.
No. 3 (N) Radford (21-11, 11-6) prevailed over No. 6 (S) Presbyterian (6-26, 2-15), 78-73
No. 5 (S) Charleston Southern (13-17, 7-10) knocked out No. 4 (N) Campbell (12-20, 6-11), 81-71.
No. 3 (S) Gardner-Webb (18-14, 11-6) advanced over No. 6 (N) Longwood (8-24, 3-14), 61-46.

Patriot League Quarterfinals

Naturally, the four/five game saw the only "upset" of this round.

No. 1 Boston U. (23-9, 16-3) routed No. 9 Lafayette (11-20, 6-13), 91-54.
No. 5 Army (15-15, 11-8) slipped by host No. 4 Bucknell (16-14, 11-8), 72-71.
No. 3 Holy Cross (19-12, 11-6) held off visiting No. 6 Lehigh (14-18, 7-12), 54-48.
No. 2 American U. (18-12, 14-5) advanced by defeating No. 7 Colgate (13-18, 6-13), 59-50.

Northeast Quarterfinals

The three/six game provided the shock of the quarterfinals in the NEC on Wednesday.

No. 1 Robert Morris (20-12, 15-2) had a surprisingly difficult time with No. 8 Fairleigh Dickinson (10-21, 6-11), 60-53.
No. 4 Mount St. Mary's (14-16. 10-7) used an incredible late rally to top No. 5 St. Francis-Brooklyn (18-14, 9-8), 72-71.
No. 6 St. Francis, Pa. (10-20, 8-9) shocked host No. 3 Bryant (18-14, 10-7), 55-54.
No. 2 Wagner (19-11, 13-4) outclassed No. 7 Central Connecticut State (11-19, 7-10), 83-59.

Ohio Valley Opening Round

A pair of teams advanced to Thursday's quarterfinal round.

No. 5 Tennessee Tech (17-15, 10-7) made sure No. 8 SIU Edwardsville's (11-19, 7-9) postseason stay was short, 74-67.
No. 6 SE Missouri (18-13, 9-8) blasted No. 7 Eastern Illinois (11-19, 7-10), 79-61.

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