The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Ugly:

The Good:
Michigan's win over Illinois just assured them a spot in the NCAA field, alhough they were in very good shape to begin with. The Wolverines are now just playing for seed.

Arkansas came back from 18 down in the second half to get a much needed win over Alabama, and now are probably just a win away from making the Big Dance for the first time since 2001.

Virginia just vaulted themselves back into the at large discussion with their win over Boston College. Still likely two wins short after a lackluster non-conference performance, their 7 wins in the ACC are still are a remarkable overachievment.

The Bad:
Seton Hall's loss at St. John's tonight, the same Red Storm team that lost at the Garden to DePaul on Saturday, pushes the Pirates well back into the dreaded bubble mix. After their win a week ago over West Virginia had seemingly vaulted them into the field for good, surprising losses to ND at home and at St. John's have put the Pirates in a tenuous situation, especially when you consider the 53 and 42 point beatdowns administered to them by Duke and UConn.

Xavier's very slim at large hopes just left the UD Arena after a deflating loss to a bad Dayton team. Looking good on national TV against Cincy and GW will not vault the Musketeers into the Dance, and now they must repeat their amazing feat in 2004 of 4 wins in 4 days to make the Tournament.

The Downright Ugly:
Southern Illinois's loss to an atrocious Evansville team has just placed the Salukis in a real difficult situation. They now have to make a long run and probably even win the MVC Tournament to get in. Evansville has become team-non grata in the Valley offices, as their dream of getting 5 bids in the Big Dance probably just left the building.