College Hoops Viewing Guide For March 9, 2017

Visit Conference Tournament Central for a full lineup of matchups, tip times, and TV info for this week.

For more specific information about coverage—particularly for ASN and Spectrum Sports games—visit Matt’s College Sports on TV Website.

If you’re only able to listen today, check out TuneIn’s college basketball lineup.

All times are Eastern, adjust accordingly.

Games With At-Large Impact

Listed in rough tip time order by importance

Illinois vs. Michigan, 12 p.m. (BTN)
Miami vs. North Carolina, 12 p.m. (ESPN/ACC Network)
Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
St. John’s vs. Villanova, 12 p.m. (FS1)
Tennessee vs. Georgia, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)

Duke vs. Louisville, approx. 2:30 p.m. (ESPN/ACC Network)
Seton Hall vs. Marquette, approx. 2:30 p.m. (FS1)
Penn State vs. Michigan State, approx. 2:30 p.m. (BTN)
TCU vs. Kansas, approx. 3 p.m. (ESPN2)
Arizona State vs. Oregon, 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

California vs. Utah, approx. 5:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Indiana vs. Iowa, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Xavier vs. Butler, 7 p.m. (FS1)
Virginia Tech vs. Florida State, 7 p.m. (ESPN/ACC Network)
Texas A&M vs. Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Texas vs. West Virginia, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)

Kansas State vs. Baylor, approx. 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Virginia vs. Notre Dame, approx. 9:30 p.m. (ESPN/ACC Network)
Creighton vs. Providence, approx. 9:30 p.m. (FS1)
Rutgers vs. Northwestern, approx. 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Colorado vs. Arizona, 9 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Missouri vs. Ole Miss, approx. 9:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

USC vs. UCLA, approx. 11:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Power Conference Tournaments

ACC Quarterfinals

ESPN and ACC Network (in its footprint) will air all four games.

Game 8: No. 9 Miami Hurricanes (21-10, 10-8) vs. No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels (26-6, 14-4), 12 p.m.
The Hurricanes defeated the Tar Heels 77-62 at home on January 28th.
Game 9: No. 5 Duke Blue Devils (24-8, 11-7) vs. No. 4 Louisville Cardinals (24-7, 12-6), approx. 2:30 p.m.
The Cardinals defeated the Blue Devils 78-69 at home on January 14th.
Game 10: No. 7 Virginia Tech Hokies (22-9, 10-8) vs. No. 2 Florida State Seminoles (24-7, 12-6), 7 p.m.
The Seminoles defeated the Hokies 93-78 at home on January 7th.
Game 11: No. 6 Virginia Cavaliers (22-9, 11-7) vs. No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (23-8, 12-6), approx. 9:30 p.m.
The Cavaliers defeated the Fighting Irish 71-54 on January 24th in South Bend.

The ACC is the one of two major-conference tournaments that features no bubble teams in action, so seeding is the only thing on the line in Brooklyn today and tonight. North Carolina and Louisville will remain in the thick of the one seed hunt with victories this afternoon, while a protected seed might be on the line when Notre Dame and Virginia meet in the nightcap. FSU just needs to keep winning to keep itself in the three range, with the possibility of a jump to a two if things go right over the next three days.

American Athletic First Round

Game 1: No. 9 East Carolina Pirates (14-17, 6-12) vs. No. 8 Temple Owls (16-15, 7-11), 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
The pair split their regular season series with each winning at home.
Game 2: No. 10 Tulane Green Wave (6-24, 3-15) vs. No. 7 Tulsa Golden Hurricane (14-16, 8-10), approx. 6 p.m. (ESPN News)
The pair split their regular season series with each winning at home.
Game 3: No. 11 USF Bulls (7-22, 1-17) vs. No. 6 UConn Huskies (14-16, 9-9), approx. 8:30 p.m. (ESPN News)
The Huskies swept the season series.

Thanks to a late four-game skid, UConn earned itself an extra home game. The Huskies and an inconsistent Temple outfit are the two teams to watch out of this group, as they could steal an auto bid on Sunday. Otherwise, this is the other power tournament without a bubble squad.

Big 12 Quarterfinals

Game 3: No. 5 Oklahoma State Cowboys (20-11, 9-9) vs. No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones (20-10, 12-6), 12:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
The Cyclones swept the season series.
Game 4: No. 8 TCU Horned Frogs (18-14, 6-12) vs. No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (28-3, 16-2), approx. 3 p.m. (ESPN2)
The Jayhawks swept the season series.
Game 5: No. 10 Texas Longhorns (11-21, 4-14) vs. No. 2 West Virginia Mountaineers (24-7, 12-6), 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
The Mountaineers swept the season series.
Game 6: No. 6 Kansas State Wildcats (19-12, 8-10) vs. No. 3 Baylor Bears (25-6, 12-6), approx. 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
The pair split their season series with each team winning on the road.

The stakes are the highest for Kansas State, who will leap into the field if it can knock off Baylor for the second time. As for the Bears, they must win to keep their faint hopes for a top seed alive. TCU will get itself back into the picture with an unexpected victory over Kansas. Otherwise, seeding is at stake in the Iowa State-Oklahoma State game, while West Virginia must defeat Texas to remain in the hunt for a protected seed.

Big East Quarterfinals

FS1 will air all four games.

Game 3: No. 8 St. John's Red Storm (14-18, 7-11) vs. No. 1 Villanova Wildcats (28-3, 15-3), 12 p.m.
The Wildcats swept the season series.
Game 4: No. 5 Seton Hall Pirates (20-10, 10-8) vs. No. 4 Marquette Golden Eagles (19-11, 10-8), approx. 2:30 p.m.
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.
Game 5: No. 7 Xavier Musketeers (20-12, 9-9) vs. No. 2 Butler Bulldogs (23-7, 12-6), 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs swept the season series.
Game 6: No. 6 Creighton Bluejays (23-8, 10-8) vs. No. 3 Providence Friars (20-11, 10-8), approx. 9:30 p.m.
The pair split their season series with each winning on the road.

In the unexpected event of a Villanova loss to St. John’s, the Wildcats’ grip on a top seed might loosen. Otherwise, consolidation is the name of the game in the other three games, though Xavier can really earn some breathing room by defeating Butler for the first time this season.

Big Ten Second Round

Game 3: No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini (18-13, 8-10) vs. No. 8 Michigan Wolverines (20-11, 10-8), 12 p.m. (BTN)
The pair split their regular season series with each winning at home.
Game 4: No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions (15-17, 6-12) vs. No. 5 Michigan State Spartans (18-13, 10-8), approx. 2:30 p.m. (BTN)
The Nittany Lions defeated the Spartans 72-63 in Philadelphia on January 7th.
Game 5: No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers (17-14, 7-11) vs. No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes (18-13, 10-8), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
The Hawkeyes defeated the Hoosiers 96-90 (OT) at home on February 21st.
Game 6: No. 14 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (15-17, 3-15) vs. No. 6 Northwestern Wildcats (21-10, 10-8), approx. 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
The Wildcats swept the season series.

Yes, Michigan is still slated to play the early game, even though they’re traveling this morning thanks to yesterday’s plane incident. That could give Illinois an opportunity in their rubber match. The Illini and Iowa can get themselves in prime position by moving on to tomorrow’s quarterfinals, though both will be eliminated with losses. Indiana, meanwhile, will need to at least get to Sunday to have a real shot. Michigan State and Northwestern both need wins to avoid late questions, and that’s a real possibility for both. The Spartans lost to Penn State at the Palestra back in January, while the Wildcats struggled mightily with Rutgers in Evanston on February 18th.

Pac-12 Quarterfinals

Game 5: No. 8 Arizona State Sun Devils (15-17, 7-11) vs. No. 1 Oregon Ducks (27-4, 16-2), 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
The Ducks defeated the Sun Devils 71-70 at home on February 2nd.
Game 6: No. 5 California Golden Bears (20-11, 10-8) vs. No. 4 Utah Utes (20-10, 11-7), 5:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.
Game 7: No. 7 Colorado Buffaloes (19-13, 8-10) vs. No. 2 Arizona Wildcats (27-4, 16-2), 9 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
The Wildcats defeated the Buffaloes 82-73 at home on January 7th.
Game 8: No. 6 USC Trojans (24-8, 10-8) vs. No. 3 UCLA Bruins (28-3, 15-3), approx. 11:30 p.m. (ESPN)
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.

To get to a Oregon-Arizona/UCLA final on Saturday, all four have to win today. The Bruins’ task is the most difficult, as they take on a USC squad that needs a win to be truly safe. Plus, the crosstown rivals split their earlier meetings. As for Cal, a win over Utah is vital, as it could set up another chance to take down the Ducks tomorrow. But to me, the Utes might be the most dangerous team in this bracket.

Dave Pasch and Bill Walton will be calling the USC-UCLA showdown late, so you might want to stay up if you’re in the Eastern and Central Time Zones. Same goes for tomorrow’s second semifinal and Saturday’s final.

SEC Second Round

SEC Network will air all four games.

Game 3: No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers (16-15, 8-10) vs. No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs (18-13, 9-9), 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs defeated the Vols 76-75 in Knoxville on February 11th.
Game 4: No. 12 Mississippi State Bulldogs (16-15, 6-12 vs. No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide (17-13, 10-8), approx. 3:30 p.m.
The Crimson Tide swept the season series.
Game 5: No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies (16-14, 8-10) vs. No. 7 Vanderbilt Commodores (17-14, 10-8), 7 p.m.
The Commodores swept the season series.
Game 6: No. 14 Missouri Tigers (8-23, 2-16) vs. No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels (19-12, 10-8), approx. 9:30 p.m.
The Rebels swept the season series.

Vanderbilt might be able to lock up a bid by avoiding a bad late loss to A&M, but the Commodores will be in trouble with a loss. Ole Miss and Georgia need wins just to stay in the picture, while Mizzou is looking to keep Kim Anderson coaching for yet another day.

Mid-Major Conference Tournaments

Atlantic 10 Second Round

NBCSN will air all four games.

Game 3: No. 9 Davidson Wildcats (15-14, 8-10) vs. No. 8 La Salle Explorers (15-14, 9-9), 12 p.m.
The Explorers defeated the Wildcats 91-83 at home on January 19th.
Game 4: No. 12 UMass Minutemen (15-17, 4-14) vs. No. 5 St. Bonaventure Bonnies (19-11, 11-7), approx. 2:30 p.m.
The Bonnies swept the season series.
Game 5: No. 10 Fordham Rams (13-18, 7-11) vs. No. 7 George Mason Patriots (19-12, 9-9), 6:30 p.m.
The Patriots defeated the Rams 73-67 at home on February 11th.
Game 6: No. 11 Saint Louis Billikens (12-20, 6-12 vs. No. 6 George Washington Colonials (18-13, 10-8), approx. 9 p.m.
The Colonials defeated the Billikens 63-55 at home on January 28th.

Given how the Atlantic 10 and its tournament usually go, there’s a good chance one of these eight teams will be involved in Selection Sunday’s championship game as a possible bid thief. St. Bonaventure and George Mason are my two picks.

Big Sky Quarterfinals

Eversport.tv will stream all four games.

Game 4: No. 8 Portland State Vikings (15-15, 7-11) vs. No. 1 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (19-9, 14-4), 3:05 p.m.
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.
Game 5: No. 5 Montana Grizzlies (16-15, 11-7) vs. No. 4 Idaho Vandals (17-12, 12-6), approx. 5:35 p.m.
The pair split their season series with each winning on the road.
Game 6: No. 7 Sacramento State Hornets (13-17, 9-9) vs. No. 2 Eastern Washington Eagles (21-10, 13-5), 8:35 p.m.
The Eagles defeated the Hornets 77-72 at home on February 2nd.
Game 7: No. 11 Southern Utah Thunderbirds (6-26, 3-15) vs. No. 3 Weber State Wildcats (17-12, 12-6), approx. 11:05 p.m.
The Wildcats defeated the Thunderbirds 90-74 at home on February 2nd.

After taking a day off for women’s action, the men take the floor again in Reno. Expect three of the four games to be competitive.

Big West Quarterfinals

Game 1: No. 7 Cal Poly Mustangs (11-19, 6-10) vs. No. 2 UC Davis Aggies (19-12, 11-5), 3 p.m. (FS West/FCS Pacific)
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.
Game 2: No. 6 Cal State Northridge Matadors (11-18, 7-9) vs. No. 3 Cal State Fullerton Titans (11-18, 7-9), approx. 5:30 p.m. (FS West/FCS Pacific)
The pair split their season series with each winning on the road.
Game 3: No. 7 UC Riverside Highlanders (8-20, 5-11) vs. No. 1 UC Irvine Anteaters (19-13, 12-4), 9 p.m. (FS Prime Ticket, delayed)
The Anteaters swept the season series.
Game 4: No. 5 Long Beach State 49ers (14-18, 9-7) vs. No. 4 Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (14-15, 8-8), approx. 11:30 p.m. (FS Prime Ticket/FCS Pacific)
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.

With the Rainbow Warriors newly eligible for this postseason, the Big West could see a repeat winner in Anaheim, but I think UC Irvine should be able to return to the field after a year away. Note that the conference reseeds for the semifinals.

Conference USA Quarterfinals

ASN will air all four games.

Game 5: No. 9 UTSA Roadrunners (14-18, 8-10) vs. No. 1 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (27-4, 17-1), 12:30 p.m.
The Blue Raiders defeated the Roadrunners 69-59 in San Antonio on February 2nd.
Game 6: No. 5 Rice Owls (22-10, 11-7) vs. No. 4 UTEP Miners (14-16, 12-6), approx. 3 p.m.
The Miners defeated the Owls 79-71 in Houston on February 18th.
Game 7: No. 7 UAB Blazers (17-15, 9-9) vs. No. 2 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (22-9, 14-4), 6:30 p.m.
The Blazers defeated the Bulldogs 79-70 in Birmingham on January 26th.
Game 8: No. 6 Marshall Thundering Herd (18-14, 10-8) vs. No. 3 Old Dominion Monarchs (19-11, 12-6), approx. 9 p.m.
The pair split their regular season series with each winning at home.

Bubble teams everywhere will be pulling hard for the Blue Raiders in the first quarterfinal of the day.

MAC Quarterfinals

BCSN, Spectrum Sports, and ESPN3 will air all four games.

Game 5: No. 8 Eastern Michigan Eagles (16-16, 7-11) vs. No. 1 Akron Zips (24-7, 14-4), 12 p.m.
The Zips swept the season series.
Game 6: No. 5 Western Michigan Broncos (16-15, 11-7) vs. No. 4 Ball State Cardinals (20-11, 11-7), approx. 2:30 p.m.
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.
Game 7: No. 7 Toledo Rockets (17-15, 9-9) vs. No. 2 Ohio Bobcats (19-10, 11-7), 6:30 p.m.
The Rockets defeated the Bobcats 79-76 in Athens on January 24th.
Game 8: No. 6 Kent State Golden Flashes (19-13, 10-8) vs. No. 3 Buffalo Bulls (17-14, 11-7), approx. 9 p.m.
The pair split their season series with each winning on the road.

Akron is the favorite to claim the #MACtion title, but considering the Zips went 2-3 in their last five, it’s possible they don’t even make it past today. Buffalo is looking for its third auto bid in a row.

MEAC Quarterfinals, Day 2

ESPN3 will stream both games.

No. 11 Howard Bison (9-23, 5-11) vs. No. 3 Morgan State Bears (14-15, 11-5), 6 p.m.
The Bison defeated the Bears 70-67 in Washington on February 13th.
No. 5 Maryland Eastern Shore Fighting Hawks (13-19, 9-7) vs. No. 4 Hampton Pirates (14-15, 11-5), approx. 8:30 p.m.
The Pirates defeated the Hawks 66-65 at home on February 1st.

Morgan State and Hampton haven’t played a game yet in Norfolk, while Howard and Maryland Eastern Shore have been sitting since Monday. The winners move on to face top-seeded N.C. Central and two seed Norfolk State tomorrow.

Mountain West Quarterfinals

CBSSN will air all four games.

Game 4: No. 8 Utah State Aggies (15-16, 7-11) vs. No. 1 Nevada Wolf Pack (25-6, 14-4), 3 p.m.
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.
Game 5: No. 5 New Mexico Lobos (17-13, 10-8) vs. No. 4 Fresno State Bulldogs (19-11, 11-7), approx. 5:30 p.m.
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.
Game 6: No. 10 Air Force Falcons (12-20, 4-14) vs. No. 2 Colorado State Rams (21-10, 13-5), 9 p.m.
The Rams defeated the Falcons 85-58 at home on January 7th.
Game 7: No. 6 San Diego State Aztecs (18-13, 9-9) vs. No. 3 Boise State Broncos (19-10, 12-6), approx. 11:30 p.m.
The Broncos defeated the Aztecs 78-66 at home on January 7th.

The top four seeds in Las Vegas look the most capable of reaching the field, though New Mexico is dangerous and SDSU could be, if they can score points.

Southland Quarterfinals

ESPN3 will stream both games.

Game 3: No. 8 No. 5 Sam Houston State Bearkats (20-12, 10-8) vs. No. 4 Houston Baptist Huskies (17-12, 12-6), 6 p.m.
The Huskies swept the season series.
Game 4: No. 6 Lamar Cardinals (19-13, 10-8) vs. No. 3 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (17-13, 12-6), approx. 8:30 p.m.
The Lumberjacks defeated the Cardinals 70-61 at home on February 16th.

The Bearkats and Cardinals won their first games rather easily on Wednesday night. Tonight’s winners move on to face No. 1 seed New Orleans and No. 2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in tomorrow’s stepladder semifinals in Katy, Texas.

WAC Quarterfinals

WACSports.com will stream all three games.

Game 1: No. 5 Seattle Redhawks (13-16, 5-9) vs. No. 4 Utah Valley Wolverines (14-15 6-8), 5 p.m.
The pair split their season series with each winning at home.
Game 2: No. 7 Chicago State Cougars (6-25, 1-13) vs. No. 2 New Mexico State Aggies (22-5, 11-3), approx. 7:30 p.m.
The Aggies swept the season series.
Game 3: No. 6 UTRGV Vaqueros (10-21, 2-12) vs. No. 3 UMKC Kangaroos (16-15, 8-6), approx. 10 p.m.
The Kangaroos swept the season series.

This is the final year of the WAC’s seven-team format, as Grand Canyon will finally be NCAA-eligible in 2018. Game 1’s winner faces Cal State Bakersfield in tomorrow night’s first semifinal at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

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