Community Picks: Cincinnati 0% vs Central Florida 0%

Whatever damage George Washington did to its resume earlier this season with losses to woeful St. Louis and DePaul, the Colonials started to make up for it this week. They won three games in seven days culminating with a thrilling 72-69 road win over a VCU team that was previously unbeaten in the Atlantic 10. George Washington's upset victory propels it back into the RPI top 50 and bolsters its NCAA tournament hopes. The Colonials (18-5, 7-3) offset their two bad losses with quality wins against ACC contender Virginia, Seton Hall, Tennessee and now VCU. The key to Saturday's win was George Washington's 13-5 game-ending surge. Joe McDonald sank the biggest shot, a go-ahead 3-pointer with just over a minute to play that gave the Colonials the lead for good. Guard Patricio Garino led three George Washington players in double figures with 27 points on 11-for-16 shooting. The Colonials also committed just 10 turnovers against VCU and held the Rams to 39 percent shooting. George Washington will need more performances like this one to survive a difficult remaining schedule and secure an NCAA bid.  Among the Colonials' remaining games include a rematch with VCU and road tests at St. Bonaventure and Davidson. SATURDAY'S BUBBLE WINNERS FLORIDA STATE (16-7, 6-5) : A 91-71 road win at struggling Wake Forest won't bolster Florida State's NCAA tournament resume all that much, but it does keep the Seminoles squarely among the group of teams right at the cut line. They own meaningful victories over Virginia, Florida, VCU and Clemson. The worst opponent they've lost to is a Hofstra team contending for the CAA title and in the top 100 in the RPI and KenPom. Florida State's hopes will hinge on a strong finish to ACC play. Four of the Seminoles' final seven ACC games are at home, but the road tests include Duke, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. SATURDAY'S BUBBLE LOSERS CINCINNATI (17-7, 7-4): It's a testament to how far Memphis has fallen in recent years that a 63-59 road loss to the Tigers is cause for concern. The Bearcats missed too many shots and committed too many turnovers in the first half and then couldn't quite claw back from a 15-point halftime deficit. The sub-100 RPI loss is a damaging one for a Cincinnati team that finds itself on the bubble as a result of a series of two-point losses against quality teams. Cincinnati does have a trio of solid wins against UConn, VCU and George Washington, but the Bearcats have only two chances to add to that list before their conference tournament — home games against UConn or SMU. PITTSBURGH (17-5, 6-4): For a team that entered the day 17-4 overall and only two games out of first place in the ACC, Pittsburgh finds itself in a somewhat precarious position. The Panthers' three most notable wins of the season have come against good-but-not-great Notre Dame and bubble teams Syracuse and Florida State. Pittsburgh had a chance to notch its first Top 25 win of the season at home against Virginia, but the Panthers proved to be no match for the Cavaliers' stifling defense in a 64-50 loss. Up next for Pittsburgh are back-to-back road games at Miami and North Carolina. The Panthers really need one of those two to solidify themselves as an NCAA tournament team. - - - - - - - Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @JeffEisenberg Continue to Article

February 06, 2016 3:29:pm EST

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Shaq Goodwin and Dedric Lawson had 20 points and 11 rebounds apiece and Memphis held on to defeat Cincinnati 63-59 on Saturday. Continue to Article

February 06, 2016 2:44:pm EST

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Troy Caupain finished with 18 points and a career-high 10 assists while Gary Clark added 16 points and 13 boards as Cincinnati used a strong second half to beat South Florida 88-57 Thursday night. Continue to Article

February 04, 2016 10:56:pm EST

The SEC's biggest underachiever showed how good it can be when playing up to its potential. Vanderbilt throttled first-place Texas A&M 77-60 on Thursday night, securing its first win over a Top 25 team in four years and sending a message that it's still capable of a late-season NCAA tournament push despite its previous struggles. At 13-9 overall and 5-4 in the SEC, Vanderbilt is a quintessential bubble team, one whose NCAA tournament fate will be determined by how it plays the next five weeks. The Commodores have played a tough schedule but they don't have much to show for it, having only beaten Texas A&M and Florida among the nine RPI top 50 opponents they've faced. What could help Vanderbilt is its upcoming schedule is favorable enough that the Commodores could build some February momentum. They face Ole Miss, Missouri, Auburn, Mississippi State and Georgia during the next 16 days before the SEC schedule stiffens once again the final two weeks of the regular season. Vanderbilt will win all those games if it plays at the level it did Thursday. Point guard Wade Baldwin scored 17 points and consistently attacked off the bounce and made intelligent decisions with the ball. Center Damian Jones controlled the paint at both ends with 13 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. The shooters around Vanderbilt's two co-stars also sank open shots as Luke Kornet had four 3-pointers and Jeff Roberson sank three. Last year, Vanderbilt was 1-7 in the SEC entering February but rallied to win eight of their final 10 league games to briefly flirt with an NCAA bid before settling for the NIT. Another late-season push like that, and the Commodores will be back in the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years. THURSDAY'S BUBBLE WINNERS WISCONSIN (14-9, 6-4 Big Ten): Three weeks after a deflating road loss at Northwestern left Wisconsin's NCAA tournament hopes on life support, the Badgers have staged a stunning revival. They've won five in a row culminating in Thursday night's 79-68 home victory over Ohio State. Wisconsin probably would not be in the NCAA tournament if the season ended today, but the Badgers are definitely within striking distance of the 10 or 11 Big Ten wins they'll probably need to secure a bid. The good news for Wisconsin? Four RPI top 50 victories over VCU, Syracuse, Michigan State and Indiana. The bad news for Wisconsin? A terrible loss to sub-250 RPI Western Illinois and a lethal remaining schedule rife with difficult road games.  CINCINNATI (17-6, 7-3): Cincinnati avoided a damaging loss with ease Thursday night. Guard Troy Caupain scored 18 points and forward Gary Clark added 16 as the Bearcats dusted South Florida 88-57 in a matchup between one of the American Athletic Conference's best teams and one of its worst. Near misses against Butler, SMU and Iowa State have Cincinnati on the bubble, but the Bearcats do have a pair of quality wins against VCU and UConn. If they can stack wins against the American Athletic Conference's second tier and pick off either UConn or SMU at home in a few weeks, they should be in good shape to return to the NCAA tournament this March. THURSDAY'S BUBBLE LOSERS (None yet, but this post will be updated) - - - - - - - Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @JeffEisenberg Continue to Article

February 04, 2016 10:31:pm EST

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Shaq Thomas and Gary Clark scored 17 points each and Cincinnati cruised by Tulane 97-75 on Sunday to give coach Mick Cronin his 200th victory with the Bearcats. Continue to Article

January 24, 2016 2:31:pm EST