Note: Before the breakdown by Quadrant, you’ll find a chronological schedule where I’ve listed games by tip time with the quadrants on the left.

Reminders of the different groupings are in the table below.

All NET rankings are from the NCAA’s website and reflect games played against D1 opposition only through Thursday, March 4, 2021. Records reflect all games played through Friday, March 5, 2021. All times are Eastern.

Chronological Regular-Season Game Schedule

Quad 1 For Both Teams (1/1: 4 Games)

Top 30 at Top 75

27. Florida (13-7, 9-6 SEC) at 23. Tennessee (16-7, 9-7), 12 p.m. (ESPNU)
25. Wisconsin (16-10, 10-9 Big Ten) at 6. Iowa (19-7, 13-6), 12:30 p.m. (Fox)
11. Texas Tech (17-8, 9-7 Big 12) at 2. Baylor (20-1, 12-1), 4 p.m. (ESPN)
3. Michigan (19-2, 14-2 Big Ten) at 73. Michigan State (14-11, 8-11), 4:30 p.m. (CBS)

While there are only eight regular-season games involving teams in the at-large hunt, each and every one of them is somewhat important. Let’s start in the SEC where Florida and Tennessee will meet today, and possibly on Friday in Nashville in the conference quarterfinals. Today’s winner earns the No. 4 seed and a bye to that contest, while the loser has to play the 12/13-game winner on Thursday afternoon. While the Gators obliterated the Vols, 75-49, on January 19th in Gainesville, UF last won in Knoxville in its last Final Four season, 2014.

The hunt for a No. 1 seed takes center stage in the other three contests, with Baylor and Michigan looking to add another win to cement their places on the top line and Iowa chasing the Bears, Wolverines, and Illinois for one of the top four spots on today’s bracket. All three teams can complete season sweeps of their respective opponents, which would be bad news for a 14-11 Michigan State team that lost in Ann Arbor by 19 on Thursday. As for Wisconsin, a win at Iowa would do wonders for the Badgers’ slipping seed.

Quad 2 For Both Teams (2/2: 1 Game)

31–75 at 76–135

34. Oregon (18-5, 13-4 Pac-12) at 102. Oregon State (14-11, 10-9), 8 p.m. (FS1)

The stakes here are pretty simple for Oregon. If the Ducks avenge the 75-64 home loss they took back on January 23rd, they’ll be the solo Pac-12 champions. If not, USC can steal a share, and thanks to a head-to-head win, the No. 1 seed in Las Vegas later this week.

Quad 2 For Host/Quad 1 For Visitor (2/1: 2 Games)

31–75 at Top 75

55. Memphis (15-6, 11-3 American) at 5. Houston (20-3, 13-3), 12 p.m. (CBS)
48. Penn State (9-13, 6-12 Big Ten) at 30. Maryland (15-11, 9-10), 7 p.m. (B1G Network)

While Houston needs a win to remain on the two line, Memphis can improve its at-large position considerably by winning at the Fertitta Center. As for Maryland, it needs a win over Penn State to stop the bleeding caused by Wednesday’s loss at Northwestern. The Terps lost to the Nittany Lions in State College on February 5th.

Quad 1 For Host/Quad 2 For Visitor (1/2: 1 Game)

Top 30 at 76–135

24. Texas (16-7, 10-6 Big 12) at 120. TCU (12-12, 5-10), 7 p.m. (ESPN+ ($))

Three wins in its last four has seen Texas climb back into the Top 16. Losing to TCU, particularly after defeating the Horned Frogs by 15 in Austin on February 13th, would see the Horns give some of that positioning back.

Chronological Conference Tournament Schedule

Big South Championship

Game 9: No. 3 Campbell (17-9, 11-6) at No. 1 Winthrop (22-1, 17-1), 12 p.m. (ESPN)
The Eagles won both meetings (at home).

In today’s first championship game, the Eagles are aiming for their first NCAA bid since 2017, while the Fighting Camels last appeared in 1992, during their first stint in the conference. While Winthrop could earn as high as a 13 seed with a win, Campbell would likely earn a 16 and possibly have to play in the First Four, depending on results elsewhere.

ASUN Championship

Game 7: No. 5 North Alabama (13-10, 7-8) vs. No. 1 Liberty (22-5, 11-2), 2 p.m. (ESPN)
The Flames won both meetings (at home).

The second title game of the day does not have bid implications, that’s because the Lions are ineligible, making the Flames the ASUN’s NCAA rep, win or lose. This will be the second straight tournament appearance for the Flames (three if you count the fact they would have qualified in 2020 too), and they’re likely a 13 or 14 seed.

MVC Championship

Game 9: No. 2 Drake (24-3, 15-3) vs. No. 1 Loyola Chicago (23-4, 16-2), 2 p.m. (CBS)
The pair split their season series 1-1 (at Drake).

Provided the Bulldogs aren’t blown out today, the dream of a #2BidValley should come true, thanks to their narrow win over Missouri State and the Ramblers’ rout of Indiana State in Saturday’s Arch Madness semifinals. Drake last reached the field in 2008, while the Ramblers advanced to the Final Four in their last appearance in 2018.

SoCon Semifinals

ESPNU will air both games.

Game 7: No. 5 ETSU (13-11, 8-7) vs. No. 1 UNCG (19-8, 13-5), 5 p.m.
The season series was a 1-1 road split.
Game 8: No. 7 Mercer (17-10, 8-9) vs. No. 6 VMI (13-11, 7-7), approx. 7:30 p.m.
The Bears won the pair’s lone meeting (at home).

Saturday’s SoCon quarterfinals were a bloodbath for the higher seeds, as even the top-seeded Spartans were pushed by the Citadel. UNCG was lucky, however, as Chattanooga fell to ETSU, Mercer edged Wofford by a point, and VMI took out Furman after OT, also by a point.

Sun Belt Semifinals

ESPN+ ($) will stream both games.

Game 9: West No. 2 Louisiana (17-8, 10-7) vs. East No. 1 Georgia State (15-5, 8-4), 6:30 p.m.
The pair have not met this season.
Game 10: East No. 4 Appalachian State (15-11, 7-8) vs. East No. 2 Coastal Carolina (16-6, 9-5), approx. 9 p.m.
The pair have not met this season.

The game of Saturday night was not Duke-North Carolina, which failed to deliver for once. No, it was the Sun Belt quarterfinal between App State and West top seed Texas State, where Caleb Asberry was the hottest shooter on the planet for a few precious minutes.

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, they failed to get the ball to a player who hit two amazing threes to force OT, then another to take a brief lead in the extra session, enough to win. And that sets up a pair of semifinals that are again, first meetings of the season due to a combination of the Sun Belt’s regional scheduling (game one) and CoVID issues that prevented regional rivals Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina from meeting.

CAA Quarterfinals

FloHoops.com ($) will stream all four games.

Game 3: No. 5 Delaware (7-7, 5-4) vs. No. 4 Hofstra (12-9, 8-6), 11 a.m.
The pair split their season series 1-1 (at Delaware).
Game 4: No. 8 Elon (8-8, 4-7) at No. 1 James Madison (13-6, 8-2), 2:30 p.m.
The Dukes won both meetings (at home).
Game 5: No. 7 William & Mary (7-9, 4-6) vs. No. 2 Northeastern (9-8, 8-2), 6 p.m.
The pair have not met this season.
Game 6: No. 6 Drexel (9-7, 4-5) vs. No. 3 College of Charleston (9-6, 6-4), 9:30 p.m.
The Cougars won both meetings (at home).

Even though JMU is hosting this season’s CAA Tournament and the Dukes are the No. 1 seed, they cannot be considered the favorite, thanks to the knee injury star senior Matt Lewis suffered in February. The Colonial was one of the conferences hardest hit by CoVID issues, so this event will be one of the more fascinating ones to watch nationally.

Summit Quarterfinals (Night Two)

Midco SN will air and ESPN+ ($) will stream both games.

Game 3: No. 5 North Dakota (9-16, 8-8) vs. No. 4 Oral Roberts (13-10, 10-5), 6:45 p.m.
The pair split their season series 1-1 (at ORU).
Game 4: No. 6 Kansas City (11-12, 7-7) vs. No. 3 North Dakota State (13-11, 11-5), 9:45 p.m.
The pair split their season series 1-1 (at UMKC).

Last season, both South Dakota State and South Dakota dropped their quarterfinals in Sioux Falls to lower-seeded opposition. Neither made the same mistake this year, with the top-seeded Jackrabbits taking down Omaha 84-71 and the second-seeded Coyotes blasting Western Illinois by an 86-69 margin. Tonight’s quarterfinal doubleheader at the Pentagon should be more interesting, if only because both contests are rubber matches.