After a few weeks off for winter break, NCBBA action is heating back up as we get deep into conference play. There are some pivotal matchups upcoming like Villanova-St. Joes, Virginia-James Madison, and SNHU-Vermont that could decide conferences and seeding. Action also begins in the west with the addition of the PAC-East conference.
Great Lakes Regional:
1 Ohio State (East Champion) VS 8 Missouri Black (West Runner-Up)
4 WUSTL (West Champion) VS 5 Xavier (East Runner-Up)
Xavier dropped their first two games of the year at the Happy Valley Fall Tip-Off but has responded with a 7-game winning streak, including a recent sweep of #17 Butler on the road. 2022 All-American PG Robert Goldsberry runs the show, with new addition Marcus Montagnino pouring in around 25 ppg. Zayvion Eusebe has also earned conference player of the week honors after an impressive sweep at Bellarmine.
3 Butler (South Champion) VS 6 Central Michigan (North Runner-Up)
Butler returned to the NCBBA this year and got off to an impressive 4-0 start in conference play. They are a balanced squad that focuses on taking good shots. They are a new team overall and will continue to build chemistry throughout the year. No better way to do that then by their sweep of reigning national and conference champion Purdue last weekend, putting the Bulldogs in the driver’s seat of the GL-South.
2 Notre Dame (North Champion) VS 7 Purdue (South Runner-up)
Mid-Atlantic Regional:
1 Virginia Tech (South Champion) VS 8 St. Joe’s (North Runner-Up)
4 Towson (East Champion) VS 5 Radford (South Runner-Up)
3 Georgetown (West Champion) VS 6 Salisbury (East Runner-Up)
Georgetown is 4-0 and leads the nation in margin of victory at 43 points per game. They are currently featured in the CBT Domination Rankings (ranking all levels of college hoops teams together.) They can lock up a spot at regionals when they travel to George Washington in week 13.
2 Villanova (North Champion) VS 7 Maryland (West Runner-Up)
New England Regional:
1 Northeastern (East Champion) VS 8 UMASS-Lowell (North Runner-Up)
4 Vermont (North Champion) VS 5 Boston College (East Runner-Up)
Boston College was a national qualifier last year and finished the season highly ranked. They have been climbing the rankings this year again and are up to #8 in the top 20 poll after crushing formerly #3 UCONN by 15 and 34 at home. After splitting the series with #7 Northeastern the NE-East is still up for grabs, but count on the Eagles to make it back to the regional.
3 Sacred Heart (West Champion) VS 6 Brown (South Runner-Up)
2 UCONN (South Champion) VS 7 Fairfield (West Runner-Up)
North Atlantic Regional:
1 Penn State (South Champion) VS 8 Geneseo (West Runner-Up)
Penn State has been an unanimous vote as the NA-South conference champion and the region’s top seed all year, and for good reason. They are ranked #13 in the top 20 poll and are 9-3 with losses coming only to current #4 USC, #11 Ohio State, and Wright State. They were a national qualifier last year and know what it takes to get back to the big stage. After traveling to Pittsburgh and sweeping #6 Robert Morris, the Nittany Lions are all but a lock to make the tourney.
4 Rochester (West Champion) VS 5 Robert Morris (South Runner-Up)
3 Montclair State (East Champion) VS 6 RPI (North Runner-Up)
2 Albany (North Champion) VS 7 TCNJ (East Runner-Up)
Pacific Regional:
1 USC – Cardinal (South Champion) VS 4 Stanford (North Runner-Up)
2 Cal Poly (North Champion) VS 3 UCLA (South Runner-Up)
South-Atlantic Regional:
1 Florida State (South Champion) VS 4 Furman (North Runner-Up)
2 Wake Forest (North Champion) VS 3 Auburn (South Runner-Up)
Wake Forest is a new member to the NCBBA this year and have yet to lose since joining. They are 4-0 but have yet to play other conference contenders Furman or South Carolina. We will see if the Demon Deacons continue their success in February.
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