NCAA Tournament March Madness
#182 UTEP
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Projection: need to automatically qualify
Taking a close look at UTEP's season, a pattern emerges: they have an affinity for handling teams within their echelon but stumble when stepping up in class. Key losses to higher rated opponents like Bradley and Oregon in non-conference play, despite being competitive, indicate a ceiling that may not inspire confidence for a deep tournament run. Nevertheless, their defensive metrics suggest a resilience capable of disrupting teams, evidenced by a strong showing against Liberty late in the season. Victories over Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky show potential, but the inconsistency, particularly in road games, paints the picture of a team that likely needs to secure the automatic conference bid to punch their ticket to the dance, as their performance lacks the signature wins necessary to justify an at-large berth, given the mixed results against teams like New Mexico State and Sam Houston State. The room to improve their standing arguably hinges on seizing momentum during the conference tournament, where a championship win is essential for their March aspirations.
Date | Opponent | Ranking | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
11/13 | UC Santa Barbara | 214 | W89-76 |
11/17 | Austin Peay | 203 | W71-63 |
11/20 | (N)California | 120 | W75-72 |
11/22 | (N)Bradley | 69 | L63-59 |
11/25 | @Loy Marymount | 242 | L67-47 |
11/29 | TAM C. Christi | 172 | L67-63 |
12/9 | @Oregon | 61 | L71-49 |
12/17 | @Abilene Chr | 192 | L88-82 |
12/20 | Norfolk St | 234 | W67-65 |
12/21 | Wyoming | 161 | W78-67 |
12/30 | Seattle | 123 | L73-61 |
1/4 | @New Mexico St | 260 | L63-53 |
1/7 | Chicago St | 310 | W74-69 |
1/13 | @Florida Intl | 270 | L72-68 |
1/18 | MTSU | 253 | W73-59 |
1/20 | WKU | 133 | W93-87 |
1/25 | @Louisiana Tech | 95 | L68-54 |
1/27 | @Sam Houston St | 139 | L60-56 |
2/1 | Jacksonville St | 215 | W79-71 |
2/3 | Liberty | 142 | L67-65 |
2/10 | New Mexico St | 260 | W74-49 |
2/15 | @WKU | 133 | L90-80 |
2/17 | @MTSU | 253 | L96-90 |
2/22 | Louisiana Tech | 95 | L65-59 |
2/24 | Sam Houston St | 139 | L65-54 |
2/29 | @Jacksonville St | 215 | W72-65 |
3/2 | @Liberty | 142 | W67-51 |
3/7 | Florida Intl | 270 | W83-76 |
3/14 | (N)Liberty | 142 | W66-57 |
3/15 | (N)Sam Houston St | 139 | W65-63 |
3/16 | (N)WKU | 133 | L78-71 |