What happened during championship week: 27 teams earn automatic berths entering Selection Sunday

Neither 10th-seeded Ohio State nor No. 7 Iowa is assured of making the NCAA Tournament but the teams' Big Ten tournament game undoubtedly will eliminate the loser from future consideration.

The Hawkeyes (18-13, 10-10 Big Ten) won their head-to-head matchup 69-67 in Iowa City on Feb. 2, but much has changed for the Buckeyes in recent weeks. Ohio State (19-12, 9-11 Big Ten) won its last four games and five of its last six. That includes wins against Purdue and Michigan State. Iowa stumbled for much of the season before winning four of its final six, including road victories against Michigan State and Northwestern plus a home overtime triumph against Wisconsin.

Iowa has reached four straight NCAA Tournaments, but with a 59 NET, it needs to beat Ohio State and probably Illinois on Friday to snag an at-large spot. Ohio State isn't in a much better position with a 55 NET.

6-7 junior forward, Iowa

One of the things I’ve asked scouts I run into is where they’ll be headed for conference tournament week. Thus far, none have told me they’re going to the Big Ten tournament; unusually for a power conference, it is something of a wasteland when it comes to NBA talent this season and may not have a single player picked in the first round.

A few very familiar players, including Purdue’s Zach Edey and Indiana’s Kel’El Ware, could break through into the top 30. But as far as a potential late riser to watch, Sandfort is the Big Ten’s most interesting one.

The junior’s combination of size (6-7) and shooting (90.1 percent career from the line, 13.9 3-point launches per 100 possessions) automatically gets him on the radar, and he’s not just some standstill catch-and-shoot fungo hitter either. Sandfort had the first triple-double in Iowa men’s basketball history(!) last week when he dropped a 26-10-10 line against Penn State. (Caitlin Clark probably had three in the time I needed to type that sentence.)

Sandfort intrigues with his passing skill (five dimes per 100 and more than two for every turnover) and punches above his weight on the glass with an 11.2 percent rebound rate in Big Ten games. The next question is lateral movement; scouts want to see him defend against speed. He won’t get much of that in the plodding Big Ten, but he might if Iowa sneaks an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa is firmly on the bubble, opening its Big Ten tourney on Thursday against Ohio State before a potential second-round game against a tough, athletic Illinois team that held Sandfort in check last weekend. The Hawkeyes likely need to win at least twice to get in; otherwise, diehards can check those NIT listings.

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Memphis' disappointing season ended with a whimper, as the fifth-seeded Tigers lost to No. 12 seed Wichita State in the AAC quarters, 71-65. Memphis was ranked as high as No. 10 in January, when it started 15-2. But the underlying metrics always suggested trouble, and the team finished 7-8. Worse, the Tigers often looked like they did not enjoy playing with one another, and Penny Hardaway couldn't figure out the chemistry issues.

Questions will persist about whether Hardaway can ever figure this out; the former NBA star and alum who arrived with such fanfare just completed his sixth season without just two NCAA Tournament appearances and a lone first-round victory to show for it.

Wichita State snapped an eight-game losing streak to Memphis and will play UAB on Friday at 3 PM ET.

The SEC is loaded with great freshmen this season, especially (as ever) at Kentucky, where Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham tend to overshadow all the rest. But it’s probably time to take serious notice of South Carolina rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, who suddenly looks like one of the best players in the league.

Murray-Boyles, a top-100 recruit, didn’t make his college debut until Dec. 1 after a bout of mononucleosis. He didn’t make his first start until Jan. 13. And now he’s on an absolute tear. He averaged 16 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks — while shooting 70 percent from the field — during the final 10 regular-season games. Then he dropped 24 points, seven boards and four steals on Arkansas in the second round of the SEC tournament here Thursday afternoon.

South Carolina’s 80-66 win over the Razorbacks was its program record-tying 26th victory of the season, coming off an 11-21 mark in coach Lamont Paris’ first year. Now the Gamecocks get Auburn in the SEC quarterfinals Friday, where they’ll try to bully the Tigers with an army of big bodies.

The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Murray-Boyles is just one of several USC basketball players who could pass for football players. B.J. Mack, the 6-8, 260-pound Wofford transfer, looks like a left tackle. Josh Gray, the 7-0, 265-pound LSU transfer, is one of the most physically imposing players in the league. It’s little wonder the Gamecocks are such a tough out this season.

Eric Musselman’s Hogs? Not so much. Their run of three straight Sweet 16s — and two Elite Eights — is over, as Arkansas finished with 16 wins and 17 losses. The pieces, as always a collection of transfers from all over the country, just never did fit this time for Musselman, who earned a technical foul in frustration as he watched the season circle the drain Thursday.

The good on Pitt: 9-8 record in the first two quads, wins at Duke, at Virginia and Wake Forest on a neutral court.

The (very) bad: A No. 343 (!!) nonconference strength of schedule, per the NET, and a home loss to Missouri.

I think they probably still have to beat UNC tomorrow, but at least they've built a solid case down the stretch. It's not Pitt's fault that Missouri and West Virginia were almost historically bad. But they also played seven buy games against terrible opponents. And that might be what costs them in the end.

Vanderbilt and Jerry Stackhouse have officially "agreed to part ways."

“I want to thank coach Stackhouse for his competitive spirit and service to this university for the last five years,” Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee said. “I appreciate his care for and attention to our student-athletes as they grew on and off the court. Commodore nation will always remember the ‘Memorial Magic’ moments we experienced under coach Stackhouse’s leadership. Given his pedigree, experience, and love of the game, I look forward to seeing what’s next for him. I wish him, Ramirra and his family nothing but the best in the future.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — South Carolina looks very much like a football team grinding its opponent down with a power-rushing attack in the second half against Arkansas. SEC Coach of the Year Lamont Paris has several guys who could make it on the gridiron — starting with power forward B.J. Mack and freshman center Collin Murray-Boyles. Murray-Boyles has 16 points, Mack has nine and six, and it's 48-37 Gamecocks early in the second half.

Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn coolly raised three fingers near his head as he backpedaled down the court after burying a deep shot from at least five feet behind the 3-point line Thursday afternoon. Less than two minutes had passed during the second half of No. 5 seed Wisconsin’s eventual 87-56 obliteration of No. 12 seed Maryland in the second round of the Big Ten tournament, and the game already was well in hand with the Badgers leading by 25 points. But it represented yet another moment that highlighted an unbelievable — and seemingly improbable — 3-point shooting performance.

Wisconsin set a season high by making 16 of 25 3-point attempts during a game that effectively was over midway through the first half. This from a team that began the day ranked 183rd nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (33.9 percent). While it’s easy to chalk up what happened to an anomaly against a subpar Maryland team that fell to 16-17, it also served as a reminder that the Badgers (20-12) have the pieces offensively to be a tough postseason out this March.

This is, after all, a group that is averaging more points per game than any Wisconsin team in 30 years. It’s one with a dynamic leading scorer in St. John’s transfer A.J. Storr, who was second-team All-Big Ten, a veteran core and an infusion of freshman talent from John Blackwell and Nolan Winter. Blackwell’s 18 points paced four players in double figures. How Wisconsin played in terms of efficiency resembled a lot of what the Badgers showed earlier in the season when they rose to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll before a 3-8 close to the regular season.

Can Wisconsin stay near this level? That remains to be seen with Wisconsin advancing to play No. 4 seed Northwestern on Friday in a tournament quarterfinal and the NCAA Tournament a week away. But it marked an important step in Wisconsin’s quest to find itself again late this season and play consistently enough to reach its first Sweet 16 under Greg Gard in seven years.

"Starting to see more of what we were back in January," Gard said. "I felt that the last week or so that we were trending back in the right direction and starting to click. Today it showed again."

Houston is up 16-0 on TCU with 11:59 left in the 1st half. TCU is 0 for 14 from the field.

Wake Forest vs. Pittsburgh is, essentially, an NCAA Tournament play-out game; the winner might be in, but the loser definitely won’t be. Someone might want to tell that to Wake Forest, which trails 38-26 at halftime and couldn’t have had much worse of a first 20 minutes. The Demon Deacons committed eight turnovers — including the last possession of the half, when they failed to even get a shot off despite multiple out-of-bounds opportunities — in addition to Steve Forbes’ bench drawing a technical foul.

Oh, and All-ACC guard Hunter Sallis, a projected first-round pick in this summer’s NBA Draft? He didn’t score for the first 18 minutes, until a wing 3-pointer finally dropped. He has as many points (three) as turnovers, despite playing 19 of 20 minutes. In many ways, Wake is lucky to only be down 12. Forbes’ 2022 team — which featured ACC Player of the Year Alondes Williams and future first-rounder Jake LaRavia — was similarly on the bubble ... until it lost its first ACC tournament game to Boston College and ended up missing the Big Dance altogether. Having that happen twice in three seasons would be devastating.

And on the Pitt side of things, you can understand why Jeff Capel drew votes for ACC Coach of the Year. The Panthers started 1-5 in the conference ... but rallied to earn the No. 4 seed and the valuable double-bye that comes with it. In the process, Capel’s squad has turned itself into a legitimate bubble side (although Pitt would likely need to beat North Carolina in the semifinals tomorrow to be firmly in the field). Behind All-ACC wing Blake Hinson and a dynamic freshman backcourt of Carlton “Bub” Carrington and Jaland Lowe, the Panthers have been a top-20 offense nationally since knocking off Duke in late January. Twenty more minutes like this, and the Panthers will have a true NCAA Tournament play-in game tomorrow vs. the league’s top seed.

There’s not much remarkable about beating 14-loss LSU to reach the SEC quarterfinals, except that it stopped Mississippi State’s freefall and at least temporarily delayed the Bulldogs’ NCAA Tournament bubble bursting. Chris Jans and his team needed that Thursday after losing four straight to end the regular season.

Mississippi State began the day ranked 42nd in the NET with three Quad 1 wins — home against Tennessee and Auburn, plus Washington State on a neutral court — and picked up its 20th overall victory, 70-60 over the Tigers. Now the Bulldogs get a huge opportunity against the SEC’s regular-season champion, Tennessee, on Friday.

Win that one, and MSU, an 11 seed in The Athletic’s latest Bracket Watch, could feel much better about its chances on Selection Sunday. Star freshman Josh Hubbard went off in the Jan. 10 win over the Volunteers in Starkville, one of his six games with 25-plus points this season. He led the Bulldogs with 24 points in the win over LSU on Thursday.

“It was a vital game for us. We needed this win (and) we did what we needed to do,” said All-SEC center Tolu Smith, but he wasn’t ready to talk about the NCAA Tournament. “We’re focused on the SEC tournament. We’re trying to keep advancing. We’re not ready to go home, and we’re all packed til Sunday.

Halftime of the Rick Pitino Show, better known as the Big East quarterfinal between St. John’s and Seton Hall. The bubble battle royale is, as it should be, tight. An RJ Luis Jr. leaner at the buzzer gave the Johnnies, a 45-40 edge.

The Johnnies wisely are going to their strength, going right at the rim and right at the Pirates. They have a 26-8 edge in points in the paint, and their hockey line change is working well, too. Twenty of St. John’s points came from the bench.

As for the sideshow, Pitino only got riled up once, angry on a no call when Chris Ledlum was pickpocketed. He charged down the sideline to let the official have it, but Joel Soriano wisely steered his coach back to the huddle. For what it’s worth, Seton Hall was whistled for two fouls after a timeout. Make of that what you will.

Mississippi State defense and super freshman Josh Hubbard took over in the second half at Bridgestone Arena, leading the No. 9 seed Bulldogs past No. 8 seed LSU 70-60 and into Friday's quarterfinals against No. 1 seed Tennessee.

Hubbard had 14 of his game-high 24 points after the break as the Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 48-31. Big man Tolu Smith was limited to eight points but had 13 rebounds and some key hockey assists with LSU doubling to take him away. Chris Jans' team gets a bit more distance from the bubble and should be safe Sunday. It could get a seeding bump against UT, which lost 77-72 at Mississippi State on Jan. 10 in the only meeting between the teams.

It took some time, but we might’ve finally reached the point that Vanderbilt fans are pining for the Kevin Stallings era.

Sure it soured in the end, but at one point Stallings led Vanderbilt to five NCAA Tournaments in six years. Sitting here today, as the Commodores endure a seventh straight year without an invitation to the dance — even when COVID—19 canceled the 2020 postseason, they were 11-21 — those look a lot like glory days, and they’re long gone.

Even when Jerry Stackhouse won SEC Coach of the Year last season, it was for almost making the tournament. When he followed that with a 9-23 record this season, his fifth at the helm and third with more losses than wins, athletic director Candice Storey Lee had no choice but to move on. There hasn’t been much Memorial Magic lately, as that quirky old gymnasium now gets overrun by visiting fans. When such an embarrassment happens often enough, it’s over for the guy on the sideline.

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