For The Love Of The Bracket

LOSER: Saint Louis. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with Josh Schertz mulling what his future looks like, but this Bilikens team is playing their worst basketball of the season at the moment. They end the regular season with a really bad 86-57 loss at George Mason

LOSER: NC State. In a season where multiple teams considered safely in the tourney are testing just how safe they are, the Wolfpack are the primary example. They finish the regular season losing 6 of their last 7 after a 85-84 home loss to Stanford. They’re probably in, but yikes

LOSER: Delaware. Just 2 days after ending a 4 game losing streak by defeating 2nd place Sam Houston, the Blue Hens fall at home to Louisiana Tech in rather embarrassing fashion, losing 81-38. They shot 23% FG%, 21% 3P%, and had 18 turnovers. They finished last in the CUSA

WINNER: North Dakota. A major surprise in the Summit League Tournament as the Fighting Hawks take down 2 seed St. Thomas 67-66 to advance to the finals. A free throw with 0.1 seconds left was the game winner. They got 28 from Greyson Uelman and face NDSU in the finals

WINNER: Cal State Fullerton. The Titans end the regular season winning 4 of their last 5 as they go on the road and beat Cal State Northridge 90-77. They shot 45% FG% and held CSUN to going 8/32 (25%) from deep. Christian Williams led the way with 23-6-5

WINNER: BYU. The Cougars notch a much needed big time victory as they defend home court and take down Texas Tech 82-76. They had lost 4 of their last 5 entering this one. They dominated down low, winning 48-14 inside the paint. Rob Wright III was the team’s leading scorer with 27

WINNER: Tennessee State. Welcome to the NCAA Tournament Tigers! They left no doubt whether they deserved their spot, dominating Morehead State for the full 40 minutes for a 93-67 win with first year head coach Nolan Smith. They led by 21 at the half and shot 16/26 (62%) from 3

WINNER: Oklahoma. The Sooners are on fire entering the SEC Tournament, ending the regular season with 4 straight wins with the last one being an 88-85 road OT victory over Texas. Stats were tight in this one but the Sooners were just slightly better. Nijel Pack led with 23

WINNER: Queens. A surprising result in the ASUN Semifinals as the 3 seed Royals prevent a 1v2 matchup in the finals by taking down Austin Peay 90-83. They shot 51% FG% and got 21 from freshman Jordan Watford. 1 seed Central Arkansas awaits in the finals

Here are my winners and losers in Day 118 of the 2025-26 college basketball season

WINNER: Northern Iowa. It will be the 5 seed against the 6 seed in the MVC Tournament Championship, but the Panthers had to do it in the hardest way possible, beating 3 seed Illinois State and then beating 2 seed Bradley 73-69. They shot an unreal 66% FG% in the win

WINNER: Ohio State. I believe the Buckeyes have done enough to get themselves firmly in the field as they win a battle of bubble teams 91-78 over Indiana. They led by 17 at the half and never looked back, shooting 59% FG% for the game. Bruce Thornton led with 25 points

WINNER: Pittsburgh. The Panthers actually had something to play for, getting a 71-69 road OT victory over Syracuse to grab the final spot in the ACC Tournament. They got 21 points to lead the way from Cameron Corhen, and they’ll face a Stanford team who badly needs a win in R1

WINNER: Wisconsin. The Badgers are truly playing their best basketball at the best time as they go to Mackey Arena and get a 97-93 win over Purdue. They shot 56/53/88, going 18/34 from deep. They did it without Nolan Winter as well. John Blackwell had 25 and Nick Boyd added 23

WINNER: UNC Greensboro. The 7 seed Spartans pull off a major upset in the SoCon Tournament, taking down 2 seed Wofford 75-72. They won this because Wofford shot an ugly 6/19 (32%) at the line. But they also won because star Justin Neely had an unreal 22 pt, 24 reb performance

WINNER: Stanford. Could the Cardinal be clawing their way into the NCAA Tournament field? They end the regular season on a 4 game win streak with an 85-84 win at NC State, finishing the regular season with 20 wins. They need to put on a showing in the ACC Tournament

WINNER: LIU. It’s always unfortunate when a conference tourney championship doesn’t matter because one of the teams is ineligible for the tournament, but this Sharks team was the beneficiary, and this is the team everyone wanted to see out of the NEC. The Sharks are in the field

WINNER: TCU. In a season that has felt like no bubble teams truly wants to secure their spot, the Horned Frogs took advantage. They finish the regular season with their 5th straight win, a 73-63 win over a hot Cincinnati squad. Even with a Q4 loss, they’re safely in the field

WINNER: Loyola Chicago. The Ramblers finish their regular season from hell off with a 68-62 win over George Washington, allowing them to split last in the A-10. They held GW to a 33% FG% and a 27% 3P%. They open the A-10 tourney with Richmond, who they beat last weekend

WINNER: Vanderbilt. The Commodores split road wins with their biggest rival as they go to Knoxville and get an 86-82 win over Tennessee. They had a 10 point halftime lead, which they needed after giving the Vols a 60 point 2nd half. They shot 53/50/84 and got 25 from Tyler Tanner