A week from now we'll know who all 123 NCAA Tournament teams are and where they'll be playing. But before then, we've got a lot of business to attend to. Here's what's coming in this most crucial week of the Division III basketball regular season, with all but two tournament bids still up for grabs.
If you're not already following D3hoops on Twitter, you should be. That may be your quickest source for conference tournament upsets that change the face of the NCAA Tournament.
&&g-boxr&&Wednesday: The NCAA releases the final regional rankings that you and I are allowed to see, through games of Sunday.
Thursday: Hoopsville takes a look at the first wave of conference upsets -- you know there will be one -- and talks to coaches of teams on the bubble and still in control of their own destiny.
Friday: The CUNYAC crowns its automatic qualifiers as do the NJAC men, as we start handing out tournament bids in earnest. The ASC and SCAC begin their three-day, eight-team events, while many other conferences play their semifinals.
Saturday: Automatic bids fly left and right. We'll have live broadcasts from conference title games (CCIW and MIAC for starters), plus links to any others we can find, audio or video.
Sunday, March 1: Bright and early in the morning we'll have our first NCAA Tournament bracket projection, based on the games already played. That afternoon the final handful of bids will be awarded, including the NESCAC, SCAC, ASC, NEWMAC and others. We'll update our bracket projections, if necessary. That evening, Hoopsville airs after all the dust has settled, and we'll also find out what teams made the women's NCAA Tournament, scheduled for release around 10 p.m. ET. And you'll hear many cliches about madness, I'm sure.
Monday, March 2: The bracket announcements, which will be streamed on live video by the NCAA and simulcast on Hoopsville, are scheduled for 11 a.m. ET (women) and 11:30 ET or immediately following (men). After each announcement we'll talk to teams affected as well as decision-makers. We'll also open our NCAA Tournament Pick 'em contests on Monday.
Our coverage from the weekend:
� Sunday: Rochester upset Wash U men, Wash U women clinched
� Saturday men: Augustana and Amherst remain alive
� Saturday women: Greensboro, York, George Fox finish strong