This is a big weekend for tournaments and we are looking at crowing a champion in one conference today. We are featuring a midday matinee with Andrew Nicholson and the Bonnies taking on #17 Temple at noon for you lucky enough not to be at work. Then Jared Mintz and Lafayette have a chance to win the Patriot League at about 4:30pm followed by Minnesota and Devoe Joseph taking on #11 Michigan State and Louisiana Tech and Olu Ashaolu taking on Utah State. Four big games plus more right here ...
As always, we have the games you need to watch highlighted below. Check in with the Can Ball Report on Twitter for any game links we can find for you.
March 12
12:00pm St Bonaventure vs. (17) Temple – the Bonnies will have a tough one against the newly resurgent Temple Owls. In the last meeting between the two teams, Temple beat St Bonaventure by 18. Andrew Nicholson was kept in check that game but he didn’t have a surging Michael Hall to back him up. Hall has been playing well in the last month and a half so he should free up Nicholson more in the low block. Nicholson is and should be able to operate against the Temple defense and for the Bonnies to have a chance to win he will need to have a huge game.
4:45pm Lafayette vs. Lehigh – now you really can’t write a better story than this: Lafayette and Lehigh, two teams that share a long and time honored rivalry, will be battling for the Patriot League Championship and a chance to dance in March. They split the season series with Lafayette winning the last one comfortably at home. Lehigh will want payback but look for their star in the middle, Jared Mintz, to put an exclamation mark on an incredible junior season. He had held the team together and the Leopards will need him to come up big in this one and if he does they may have an invite to Tournament.
7:00pm (22) Georgetown vs. Marquette
8:00pm South Carolina State vs. Delaware State
8:55pm Minnesota vs. (11) Michigan State – a big win over Penn State to start the Bit Ten Tournament was a good way to get the momentum going. They will not have the same time with Michigan State as they did with Penn State, that’s for sure. The Gophers have played the Spartans tough all season losing first by seven points in East Lansing and then losing by one in Minneapolis. A win here would get the Gophers one step closer to an at-large bid for the Tournament for sure. Devoe Joseph was great in the game against the Nittany Lions going for 15 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
9:00pm Massachusetts vs. Richmond
9:00pm Louisiana Tech vs. Utah State – Louisiana Tech has a realistic chance to make the NCAA Tournament but to do it they need to get by Utah State. The Aggies had the best record in the WAC Conference as well as the best overall record in the conference. They will be in the Tournament win or lose here. The Bulldogs need to beat the Aggies to keep their hopes alive of winning the WAC and if not, help in a chance at an at-large bid. Toronto’s Olu Ashaolu had a great game in the win over Fresno State going off for 11 points, 8 boards and 4 assists. He will need to help with the scoring and hit the glass hard for them to have a chance to win this game.