Championship Saturday

CoachDay
Mar 15
2 min read

The day of bids has arrived for college basketball. It has been a heck of a week, all leading up to today—and a few more tomorrow, of course. Today, though, is jam-packed from sunrise to sunset here on the West Coast, with the America East tipping off at 8 AM.

A few mid-majors are battling for a spot in the tournament today, setting the stage for some passionate moments, while the big schools have mostly stuck to the script—leaving league bragging rights to the true champions. The matchups on deck today could very well be Sweet 16 or Elite 8-caliber games in a couple of weeks. But we all know what to tune into—so here are three games you shouldn’t miss:

Boise State vs. Colorado State – 6 PM ET, CBS

Both teams are still very much in the thick of the bubble talk, which means nothing is guaranteed for them tomorrow on the selection show. This is their chance to eliminate a stressful 24 hours and crown themselves champions. Both teams love to shoot the three, but the Rams may hold the advantage as they swept the season series. The Broncos are feeling good—can they finish this dream ride?

Prediction: Colorado State 71, Boise State 65

Grand Canyon vs. Utah Valley – 11:30 PM ET, ESPN2

1 vs. 2 in the WAC. Doesn’t get much better than this. Both teams have 25 wins and believe they can make some noise next week in the Big Dance. Splitting the season series, this one is a toss-up. But the Lopes feel they have a new advantage with Tyson Grant-Foster finally back and healthy—he may be the difference in this one.

Prediction: Grand Canyon 74, Utah Valley 71

UC Irvine vs. UC San Diego – 9:30 PM ET, ESPN2

Another West Coast 1 vs. 2 BATTLE. A combined record of 57-9. Many college basketball pundits believe both teams deserve a bid, but bracketologists say only one most likely will. The Tritons have been a favorite mid-major of mine all season, but it could all come down to these 40 minutes. Some say barring a blowout by Irvine tonight, UCSD could still sneak in, sitting top 40 in metrics. I’m sure Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones & Co. don’t want to leave it up to chance—they’re ready to clinch a berth for the first time in school history.