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Five Top 25 teams are set to play out on the final day of February, and only three will feature teams with legitimate shots to make a title run. Some ranked teams could see their tournament seeds affected on Sunday, while others have secured their spots as automatic qualifiers. Let’s go over some of the games featuring notable teams on Sunday.
No. 8 Villanova (-11.5) vs. Butler
Villanova right now looks to have secured the No. 2 seed in Region 3, with Butler not close to making the tournament. They’d need a miracle run just to get to Day Two of the Big East Tournament at MSG.
No. 4 Ohio State (-2) vs. No. 9 Iowa
The game of the weekend in college basketball, and with Baylor losing last night, a chance for Ohio State to potentially pass the Bears on the seeding line temporarily.
Both these teams are getting into the tournament, but the result of this game could affect both schools' placement. The Buckeyes narrowly edged out the Hawkeyes by four points earlier this season, but could lose their No. 1 seed if they’re defeated in the rematch. Iowa is beloved by the advanced metrics, and could start making their case for a top-seed with a victory.
South Florida vs. No. 12 Houston (-19)
Houston is fourth in the NET and a huge favorite against a USF team that has played terrible following a COVID pause. If the Bulls did pull off an upset, the Cougars might lose their edge on No. 13 Creighton and No. 23 Wisconsin. Both schools barely crack the top 20 in the NET. The Cougars beat the Bulls 82-65 in Tampa 18 days ago.