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 Monday, February 28
Vandy dandy, but Tulane washes out
 
By Greg Collins
ESPN.com

 It's time for another promotion off the Watch. On the strength of its 85-72 win over then-No. 6 Tennessee, Vanderbilt has earned contender status.

About time, you say? Maybe. But Vanderbilt had slipped out of last week's Associated Press rankings and was on the verge of doing the same in the coaches poll. A season sweep of the Volunteers -- a team which a week ago looked like a possible No. 1 seed -- solidifies the Commodores' place in the SEC and makes up for the loss at Alabama.

Two other teams left the Watch this week -- Tulane and SMU. For the Green Wave, they fell victim to the Watch's inability to make sense of Conference USA. Is it Tulane? Southern Miss? South Florida? Louisville? DePaul? Each team has at least 16 wins, but nobody is more than two games over .500 in conference play. That doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of higher-seeded teams come tournament time.

As for the Mustangs, they were bounced by the public despite a 21-5 record. Apparently wins over Fresno State and UTEP weren't enough to sway the voters -- SMU grabbed just 4.2 percent in the poll. Mustang fans should redirect their anger toward TCU and Tulsa, who come to Moody Coliseum next week.

If you want to see the final results from last week's poll, you can find it in the user feedback from the Feb. 14 Cinderella Watch.

Click here to read responses to this week's Watch. RPI rankings are as of Saturday, Feb. 19 and records are through Sunday, Feb. 20.

Bowling Green Falcons
Record RPI Mo' Marquee victory
20-6 (12-4 MAC) 62 Up Defeated Kent 71-61

We've been waiting for a second team to distinguish itself out of the MAC, and Bowling Green is it. A 12-4 conference record shows that the Falcons have lifted themselves above the MAC fray -- the same fray which has jackhammered the NCAA Tournament hopes of Akron and Ball State. The Cardinals have a slightly better RPI than Bowling Green, but at 9-7, Ball State is too close to a .500 conference record to warrant serious at-large consideration now.

Butler Bulldogs
Record RPI Mo' Marquee victory
18-7 (10-2 MCC) 87 Up Defeated Indiana State 77-55

The quality wins might not be there for the Bulldogs, but not many teams are hotter heading into March. Butler has reeled off 10 wins in a row to go from an 8-7 team planning on a nice spring break away from basketball to an 18-7 monster ripping through the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. It should be a 12-game streak heading into the conference tournament. The key to Butler's turnaround? Over the streak, Butler is shooting a scorching 51.4 percent from the field.

Dayton Flyers
Record RPI Mo' Marquee victory
18-6 (8-4 A-10) 32 Up Defeated Kentucky 68-66

Dayton fared better against Temple than another prominent Ohio basketball school last week, losing to the Owls by just six. But the more important result over the past seven days was 68-64 win over St. Bonaventure, proving that the Flyers are the second-best team in the Atlantic 10. But Dayton can't afford to slip up over its last four (all winnable games, but three are on the road) because hard-charging George Washington is just one game back in the A-10's West Division. The Colonials have won seven of their last eight, including wins over St. Bonaventure, Xavier and Dayton.

Indiana State Sycamores
Record RPI Mo' Marquee victory
19-7 (12-3 MVC) 48 Side Defeated Indiana 63-60

So much for wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the MVC tournament. Indiana State still leads Southern Illinois by one game and Southwest Missouri State by two, but the schedule ahead for the Sycamores is brutal. Road games at Southern Illinois and Evansville lead up to a regular-season finale vs. Bradley. Losing the top seed for the conference tourney could be disastrous in this deep conference -- several teams are close to at-large status, and every game is vital.

Kent Golden Flashes
Record RPI Mo' Marquee victory
21-5 (13-4 MAC) 26 Side Defeated St. Bonaventure 73-60

A 10-point setback at Bowling Green will rob Kent of some of its momentum heading into the Mid-American Conference tournament. But with just one regular season game left -- at Ohio -- the Flashes have clinched a first-round bye in the MAC tournament and hold a half-game lead over Bowling Green. Beating Akron at home was important for Kent's overall profile and might have eliminated the Zips from at-large contention.

Pepperdine Waves
Record RPI Mo' Marquee victory
21-6 (11-1 WCC) 41 Up Defeated Gonzaga 80-69

The Waves benefited from Gonzaga's misfortune. While Pepperdine was dispatching Loyola Marymount in a home-and-home weekend, the Zags tripped up at home with a 12-point loss to San Diego. Now the top seed in the WCC tournament is Pepperdine's for the taking -- and it means Gonzaga would likely have to play USD in the second round. To wrap up the top seed, the Waves need to take care of business at San Diego and St. Mary's.

Southwest Missouri State
Record RPI Mo' Marquee victory
17-9 (10-5 MVC) 42 Up Defeated Indiana State 64-48
If there's a team that knows what it takes to put a scare into somebody in the NCAA Tournament, it's Southwest Missouri State. Steve Alford isn't there anymore, but the Bears are starting to peak at the right time. SMS started its current five-game winning streak beating Indiana State, and of the top three MVC teams, the Bears have the easiest conclusion to the regular season.

Utah State Aggies
Record RPI Mo' Marquee victory
21-5 (12-0 Big West) 44 Up Defeated USC 52-50
Twelve wins and counting for the Aggies. This week's showdown at New Mexico State should be the only potential stumbling block between Utah State and a perfect Big West record. If the Aggies can win out and then collect at least one win in the conference tournament, they'll be sitting on 26 wins -- and a surefire at-large bid if they don't win the tourney.

Greg Collins is the college basketball editor at ESPN.com.

 



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