Beltway Basketball Beat: Bracket Racket I: Countdown is on for Maryland, Virginia, Georgetown, while American’s clock runs out – WTOP News

Six days earlier than Choice Sunday — don’t fear, issues will get sorted out (even when they aren’t to everybody’s satisfaction).

Sunday’s motion noticed American College’s inconceivable Patriot League Event run finish. The Eagles rallied from 21 factors all the way down to pressure extra time at Lafayette, however got here up brief 84-76 in double-overtime.

Matt Rogers tallied 24 factors with 13 rebounds in defeat as AU has the comfort of realizing that the majority of their nucleus is underclassmen and on monitor to return for 2023-24. (Small comfort for a season that ends the primary weekend of March, however comfort however.)

The CAA quarterfinals on the Leisure and Sports activities Area in D.C. noticed Towson defeat Delaware 86-60 after holding the Blue Hens to 39% taking pictures and 4-25 from 3-point vary.

Nicolas Timberlake led the way in which with 19 factors, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Blowouts have been the rule and never the exception throughout the quadruple-header as common season champ Hofstra and match favourite Faculty of Charleston dominated their video games towards William & Mary and Stony Brook. Even UNC-Wilmington had stretches of dominance (a 16-0 second half run that gave them the lead for good) of their five-point victory over Drexel.

The place the opposite locals stand:

Maryland (20-11, 11-9 Huge Ten) wasted a 15-point lead and allowed a tip-in as time wound all the way down to fall at Penn State 65-64. The 1-9 convention highway document (with the lone win coming at last-place Minnesota) is hard to abdomen transferring ahead, however at first 12 months the Faculty Park Devoted would have dived after a successful convention document. And regardless of this system’s points within the Huge Ten Event, they’ve but to play within the Dreaded First Spherical since becoming a member of the convention. Coach Kevin Willard’s crew is the No. 6 seed and performs the winner of Nebraska and Minnesota in Thursday’s Second Spherical (drawing the late tipoff).

Virginia (24-6, 15-5 ACC) takes the No. 2 seed within the ACC Event after their 75-60 win over final place Louisville. The Cavaliers tied with Miami for one of the best common season document however a December loss to the Hurricanes provides Miami the tiebreaker. Nonetheless, that is the sixth time in ten years that UVA has posted one of the best common season mark. Within the earlier fifty years of ACC play, the Cavaliers had achieved that 5 occasions. They’ll wait till Thursday at 7 p.m. to play their Quarterfinal matchup with whoever emerges from the North Carolina/Boston Faculty/Louisville trio.

Virginia Tech (18-13, 8-12 ACC) takes the No. 11 seed and performs Notre Dame on Tuesday within the First Spherical at Greensboro. The Hokies grabbed the eleventh seed by beating Florida State 82-60. Now, there are those that will low cost their end by saying they beat the sub-. 500 Seminoles and last-place Louisville to conclude their season, however Coach Mike Younger’s crew has additionally crushed double-bye groups Duke and Virginia plus a Pitt crew that was in first place as not too long ago as one week in the past. Tech additionally received the Event final 12 months — I’m not saying they’re on a mission to repeat, however I wouldn’t be shocked in the event that they superior a spherical additional than their seeding would counsel.

George Mason (19-12, 11-7 Atlantic 10) takes the No. 5 seed within the Atlantic 10 Event after their last-second win at Richmond. That should have been one intriguing bus experience up Interstate 95 after Mason let an 18-point lead dissolve within the second half and wanted a late steal and rating by Davonte Gaines to ship their fifth straight victory. The 11 league wins are essentially the most for the Patriots since they joined the A-10, as they’ll meet the winner of Richmond and UMass on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

George Washington (16-15, 10-8 Atlantic 10) rallied from 17 factors down towards common season champ VCU, however got here up brief 74-68. And this was on a day the place their high-powered backcourt duo of James Bishop and Brendan Adams shot 11-28 from the sphere and every took some time to get going (Bishop didn’t rating till there was 11:20 left within the 1st half and Adams’ first basket got here with 12:56 left in regulation). However, identical to many would have taken a successful Maryland season, the Foggy Backside Devoted can’t assist however be impressed with Coach Chris Caputo delivering the varsity it first successful A-10 and total common season document in his first winter guiding this system. GW takes the No. 7 seed and performs the winner of St. Joe’s and Loyola Chicago at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Georgetown (7-24, 2-18 Huge East) had the weekend off and their second straight final place end delivers a First Spherical showdown with a Villanova crew that heads to Madison Sq. Backyard with six wins in its final eight video games.

5 automated bids have been claimed over the weekend:

Northeast — as destiny would have it Farleigh Dickinson (19-14) — grew to become the primary faculty to punch its ticket to the NCAA Event, and it didn’t occur within the customary method. Saturday, the Knights received their semifinal 70-50 towards St. Francis (PA) whereas prime seed Merrimack received its semifinal. Solely the Warriors are ineligible for the NCAA (four-year transition from Division II), so FDU will get the automated bid-the faculty’s first since 2019. They’ll “play” the championship sport Tuesday.

Ohio Valley — Southeast Missouri State (19-16) topped Tennessee Tech 89-82 in extra time for the Redhawks first journey to the Huge Dance since 2000.

Huge South — UNC-Asheville defeated Campbell 77-73 to provide the Bulldogs their first NCAA berth since 2016. For these curious, UNCA has been both a 15 or a 16 seed for every of its journeys to the match.

Missouri Valley — Drake (27-7) drills Bradley 77-51 to ship the Bulldogs again to the Huge Dance after a 12 months’s absence. You gotta love the Drake …

Atlantic Solar — Kennesaw State squeaked by Liberty 67-66 to ship the 26-8 Owls to their first-ever NCAA Event since transferring to Division I.

Monday evening’s bids:

Solar Belt, 7 p.m., ESPN2

James Madison fell within the semifinals to South Alabama, and so it’s the Jaguars who face Louisiana (the Rajun’ Cajuns not solely swept the common season collection however have a far superior nickname).

Southern, 7 p.m., ESPN

Common season-winner Furman faces Cinderella (No. 7 seed) Chattanooga. The Paladins swept the Mocs throughout the common season however the nickname contest is a draw.

Recreation to Watch:

CAA Semifinals, Towson (21-11) vs. Faculty of Charleston (29-3), 8:30 p.m., CBS Sports activities Community

Each faculties used sturdy begins to drag away from their quarterfinal foes: the Tigers jumped out to a 21-2 lead over Delaware whereas the Cougars led Stony Brook 22-2 earlier than cruising. Charleston has been ranked at occasions this 12 months and swept the common season collection however each have been winnable video games for the Tigers. And Coach Pat Skerry’s crew is again in D.C. this March with unfinished enterprise on their minds after arising brief a 12 months in the past as common season champ. They’ve avenged 2022’s semifinal loss to Delaware and now have two 2022-23 common season scores to settle.