Marquette Rooting Guide: March 15

Marquette fans everywhere breathed a massive sigh of relief as the 4-game losing streak was snapped against St. John's last night. It wasn't just that win that went in Marquette's favor, however. Two other 5-seeds, Virginia Tech & Maryland, also lost. That leaves Marquette with the best chance to move back up to the 4-line if things break right. And while they've been a 3-seed most of the year, the Selection Committee chair said they've seeded the top three lines already, so I'm going to assume that dream is over. Here are games to watch today:

Seton Hall vs Marquette, 8:00 pm, FS1: We'll start with the obvious one. Marquette likely needs to win the Big East Tournament to move up, but at the minimum needs to play on Saturday. Powell vs Howard at MSG on a Friday night should be epic.

Florida vs LSU, 12:00 pm, ESPN: I don't think Marquette can catch LSU in the S-Curve, but LSU could drop behind Wisconsin & Buffalo in the NET, which would help stick both of those wins in Q1A.

Nebraska vs Wisconsin, 1:55 pm, BTN: This should be easy for MU fans. Bucky has the edge in metrics, but MU would have more Q1A wins, more Q1 total wins, a better Q1 record, a better overall record, & if it comes down to it, the head-to-head win. Ideally this should be a close win for Nebraska so UW doesn't fall out of the top-15 of NET.

Auburn vs South Carolina, 2:00 pm: Some brackets have Auburn ahead of Marquette, though I don't buy it. More important, if Auburn loses it insures they stay behind Wisconsin & Buffalo in the NET.

Central Michigan vs Buffalo, 5:30 pm, CBSSN: A Buffalo win will give them a chance to get to or stay in the NET top-15. Another blowout like yesterday would all but guarantee it.

Xavier vs Villanova, 5:30 pm, FS1: If Marquette is going to win this thing & move up, their resume will benefit more from a win over Villanova than Xavier, & it's better for the Wojo revenge tour.

Florida State vs Virginia, 6:00 pm, ESPN: The Seminoles are ahead of Marquette on the S-Curve. I'm not sure MU can catch them, but better for them to just stop winning right now.

Minnesota vs Purdue, 6:00 pm, BTN: This is (almost) all about the NET. A big Minnesota win could drop Purdue back a few spots, helping Wisconsin & Buffalo. And if there's any slight hope of a 3-seed, Purdue is the only team on that line MU could possibly catch (but I don't expect that).

Iowa State vs Kansas State, 6:00 pm, ESPN2: The Wildcats are one spot ahead of Marquette on the S-Curve. Hopefully the lack of Dean Wade ends KSU's run. They've done great work for Marquette's resume, but they can stop now.

West Virginia vs Kansas, 8:00 pm, ESPN2: With Kansas at the top of the 4-line, I doubt MU gets that high, but better for them to lose now. MU winning tomorrow while the Jayhawks are idle coming off a bad loss would be a positive.

Mississippi State vs Tennessee, 8:00 pm, SECN: There is zero chance MU catches the Vols, but Mississippi State could end up with as many as three massive resume opportunities: Tennessee, Kentucky, & LSU. Even if they only got 1-2 of them, they could pass Marquette & grab a 4-seed themselves.

San Diego State vs Nevada, 8:00 pm, CBSSN: I don't think the Wolfpack could pass Marquette, but some brackets have them ahead of us. Better for the Aztecs to end their tourney run now.

1-Seeds: 1-VIRGINIA, 2-North Carolina, 3-Duke, 4-Tennessee
2-Seeds: 8-MICHIGAN STATE, 7-Gonzaga, 6-HOUSTON, 5-Kentucky
3-Seeds: 9-Michigan, 10-LSU, 11-Texas Tech, 12-Purdue
4-Seeds: 16-KANSAS STATE, 15-Wisconsin, 14-Florida State, 13-Kansas
5-Seeds: 17-Marquette, 18-Virginia Tech, 19-Mississippi State, 20-Maryland
6-Seeds: 24-Auburn, 23-BUFFALO, 22-WOFFORD, 21-VILLANOVA
7-Seeds: 25-NEVADA, 26-Iowa State, 27-Cincinnati, 28-Louisville
8-Seeds: 32-VCU, 31-Iowa, 30-Ucf, 29-Mississippi
9-Seeds: 33-WASHINGTON, 34-Syracuse, 35-Baylor, 36-Utah State
10-Seeds: 40-Temple, 39-Ohio State, 38-Tcu, 37-Oklahoma
11-Seeds: 41-Seton Hall, 42-Belmont, 43-Unc Greensboro, 44-Minnesota/45-Lipscomb
12-Seeds: 50-NEW MEXICO STATE, 49-ST. MARY'S, 48-MURRAY STATE, 47-Arizona State/46-Furman
13-Seeds: 51-LIBERTY, 42-UC IRVINE, 53-VERMONT, 54-NORTHEASTERN
14-Seeds: 58-HARVARD, 57-MONTANA, 56-GEORGIA STATE, 55-OLD DOMINION
15-Seeds: 59-NORTHERN KENTUCKY, 60-COLGATE, 61-BRADLEY, 62-GARDNER WEBB
16-Seeds: 68-NORFOLK STATE/67-IONA, 66-NORTH DAKOTA STATE/65-FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON, 64-PRAIRIE VIEW A&M, 63-SAM HOUSTON STATE

First Four Out: Creighton, Alabama, St. John's, Indiana
Next Four Out: Florida, NC State, Clemson, Texas