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MARCH MADNESS TIME BOUNCING IN

By Arnie Leshin 
It’s no secret, selection Sunday is nearing, but who will make the men’s Division I basketball March Madness field remains a guessing game. 
 
These teams are already going dancing after landing their league’s automatic bid: Kennesaw State in the Atlantic, UNC Ashville in the Big South, Fairleigh Dickinson in the Northeast, Drake in the Missouri Valley, and Southeast Missouri State in the Ohio Valley.
 
But the big surprise is Furman, winner of the SoCon Conference for the first time since 1980, which is some four decades, quite some time after the All-America Frank Selvey led the way. The Paladins did so by upending Chattanooga, 88-79, after losing to it on a buzzer-beater in last year’s final. 
 
This time, it was Furman finally making the now 68-team field with a 27-7 overall record. 
 
Now the key dates are in the six power conferences.
 
The Atlantic Coast Conference starts things off Tuesday-Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. 
 
The Big 12 will be Wednesday-Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
 
The Big Ten will be Wednesday-Saturday in Chicago.
 
The Big East will be Wednesday-Saturday in New York.
 
The Pac-12 will be Wednesday-Saturday in Las Vegas, Nev.
 
The Southeastern will be Wednesday-Saturday in Nashville, Tenn. 
 
Presently, the top four teams are Houston, UCLA, Kansas and Alabama. The second four in would be Purdue, Texas, Arizona and Baylor. 
 
The last four bubble teams in would be Mississippi State, Utah State, Nevada and Rutgers. The first four out would Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Arizona State and North Carolina. 
 
Others in bubble watch are Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Montana State, Vermont and Binghamton. 
 
Sweet 16 weekend will see East Regional games in New York City, West Regional in Las Vegas, Nev., Midwest Regional in  Kansas City, Mo., and South Regional in Louisville, Ky.
 
The Final Four is set for Houston, Tx., on April 1, with the championship game on April 3. 
 
Basketball aficionados, take note, the women’s NCAA tournament will hold its Final Four in Dallas, Tx., — a four-hour drive up the road from Houston. 

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