There are lots of games with NCAA tournament implications this weekend. Here are the top five:
5. Penn at Harvard »
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In the tournament-less Ivy League, the Crimson (23-3, 9-1) can wrap up an automatic NCAA bid with wins Friday over Princeton (15-10, 6-3) and Saturday over Penn (15-11, 7-2). Both are at home. (Saturday, 7 p.m.)
4. Mississippi State at Alabama ?» The Bulldogs (19-9/RPI 58) and Crimson Tide (17-9/RPI 37) both have lost six of their last 10, sinking to the middle of the pack in the SEC behind some less-talented teams. Both have work to do to claim at-large bids. (Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN)
3. No. 2 Syracuse at Connecticut ?» There’s not much at stake for the Orange, who probably can lose two more and still cruise to a No. 1 seed. The slumping Huskies (17-10, 7-8), however, need a quality win after losing their last four games against ranked conference foes, all by at least 14 points. (Saturday, 9 p.m., ESPN)
2. No. 10 Marquette at West Virginia » The Mountaineers (17-11, 7-8) have plenty of quality wins but have dropped six of their last eight. A losing league record, even in the loaded Big East, might require something dramatic in the conference tournament. (Friday, 9 ?p.m., ESPN)
1. No. 3 Missouri at No. 4 Kansas ?» The Tigers (25-3, 12-3) and Jayhawks (23-5, 13-2) are in a two-team race in the Big 12. They also could be battling for a No. ?1 seed in the NCAA tournament. With a late rally, Missouri won the first meeting in Columbia 74-71. (Saturday, 4 p.m., CBS).
– Kevin Dunleavy
