Oklahoma Proves They're More Than Just Griffin

Texas 73, #2 Oklahoma 68
With Blake Griffin knocked out early on, casual fans finally see how silly it was that a lot of college basketball analysts had declared that Oklahoma would only be a bubble team if it wasn't for Griffin. The fact is that the Sooners have several outstanding players, and perhaps none benefited more from the increased attention than star freshman Willie Warren, who scored 27 points. He is probably one of the five best freshmen in the nation, and almost nobody outside the Big 12 has heard of him because the media never talks about him. So even though Texas won, Oklahoma came off looking very good. As long as Blake Griffin doesn't miss any more time, it's unlikely that Oklahoma will not get a 1 seed. Texas, meanwhile, really needed this victory to get back off the bubble. They are now 7-5 in the Big 12 with an RPI up to 35th. They are a very solid 6-4 against the RPI Top 50, and are in fairly good shape for a Tournament bid. That said, their remaining schedule is not easy, and if they only finish 9-7 then they're going to enter the Big 12 tournament without having locked up a Tournament bid yet.

Saint Mary's 75, #23 Utah State 64
Swarming defense and solid inside play led a rapidly improving Saint Mary's team to a huge victory over Utah State. They are finally figuring out how to win without Patty Mills, but the question is if the damage has already been done to their resume. They are 20-5, but still only 3-3 against the RPI Top 100, and with poor computer numbers. They face two bad opponents to end the regular season, and absolutely need to win both of those. After that they'll need a good performance in the WCC tournament. If they can get to the finals then they'll probably make the Tournament regardless of whether they win the game or not. Utah State, meanwhile, is looking weak as far as their at-large bids go. While at first glance their 24-3 record, 5-3 RPI Top 100 record and RPI of 30th seem very good, the fact is that Utah State really has not proven that they can beat good teams. They beat Utah back in December, but otherwise have zero wins over the RPI Top 80. I think they can afford one more loss, but two more losses will probably cost them an at-large bid should they fall in the WAC tournament.

Florida State 67, Virginia Tech 65
Poor Virginia Tech continues to lose tough close games. Toney Douglas was the hero for a Florida State team that has just about locked up a Tournament bid. They are 8-4 in the ACC with an 11-6 record against the RPI Top 100. They'll probably lock up a Tournament bid with one more win, but the real thing that Florida State fans are suddenly realizing is that they actually have a shot at a share of the ACC regular season title right now. They are only one loss behind first place North Carolina. I don't think they're actually going to end the season tied with North Carolina, but who would have predicted just a few weeks ago that Florida State would still have a chance at the regular season title as we head into the last week of February. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, probably only has the eighth best resume in the ACC right now, and I don't think the ACC will get eight teams. The Hokies are now 6-6 in the ACC with a 5-9 record against the RPI Top 100 and with computer numbers that have fallen out of the Top 60 across the board. Their remaining schedule is really brutal (at Clemson, Duke, UNC, at Florida State), so there will be plenty of opportunities for big wins. If they can get to 8-8 then that will mean two very good wins in their final four games and they'll have an excellent shot at an at-large bid heading into the ACC tournament. But if they fall to 7-9 then it's going to be almost impossible for them to earn an at-large. If they lose all four then forget about it.