NCAA tournament bracketology: Whats at stake in Wednesdays games? -

Wednesday’s games to watch

ACC second round: Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame (approx. 2:30, ESPN)

Wake Forest (19-12) appeared to have finally nudged itself into position to make the tournament when it upended Duke on Feb. 24 … and promptly lost three in a row. A victory over Clemson on Saturday helped a bit, but the Demon Deacons have at least a couple of days’ worth of victories to collect this week, starting with an afternoon encounter with 12th-seeded Notre Dame (13-19) in Washington.

Bracket impact: Wake Forest treads water with a victory and is effectively toast for NCAA tournament purposes if it loses.

Big 12 second round: TCU vs. Oklahoma (approx. 3)

TCU (20-11) is probably safe no matter what, but any chance of getting shunted off to Dayton for a play-in game is gone for good if it wins. The Sooners (20-11) have bobbed along for the past two months, never winning or losing more than two in a row since a 13-1 start. An extra high-end win wouldn’t hurt Porter Moser’s team, which will also benefit from having confined all of its losses to Quadrant 1.

Bracket impact: Oklahoma could slip to a play-in game with a one-and-done in Kansas City, but barring chaos it’s hard to envision it getting shut out of the tournament entirely. Wednesday is an opportunity for the Sooners to put an end to any questions.

Mountain West first round: Colorado State vs. San Jose State, approx. 4:30; New Mexico vs. Air Force, approx. 7

Colorado State (22-9) could be in danger of getting a ticket to Dayton if it loses to San Jose State (9-22). New Mexico (22-9) already has a headache on its hands because it lost last month to Air Force (9-21) and surely cannot afford a second. Both teams are in taking-care-of-business mode on the first day of the Mountain West tournament.

Bracket impact: The greatest benefit of a victory for either the Rams or the Lobos is it wouldn’t be a damaging loss. New Mexico, in particular, is vulnerable to falling out of the field.

Southland final: Nicholls State at McNeese State (5, ESPN2)

McNeese State (29-3) is a game away from earning its first NCAA tournament berth since 2002, all but justifying for the Lake Charles, La., school whatever scrutiny it received for hiring former LSU coach Will Wade and withstanding his 10-game suspension at the start of the season. Nicholls State (20-13) is led by a first-year coach of its own, Tevon Saddler, who at 29 is the youngest head coach in Division I. McNeese won the two regular season meetings by 27 and 21 points.

Bracket impact: One-bid territory, but McNeese could flirt with a No. 12 seed if there’s a surprise or two elsewhere. Nicholls projects as a No. 16 seed, possibly one sent to Dayton.

Big East first round: Providence vs. Georgetown (approx. 6:30, Fox Sports 1); Villanova vs. DePaul (approx. 9, Fox Sports 1)

The important work for seventh-seeded Providence (19-12) and sixth-seeded Villanova (17-14) won’t happen until Thursday. But for now, the first two commandments of the Big East tournament must be obeyed. Commandment the First: Thou shalt not lose to DePaul (3-28). Commandment the Second: Thou shalt not lose to Georgetown (9-22).

Bracket impact: A win doesn’t enhance either Providence’s or Villanova’s résumé. A loss means a program can start selling tickets to an NIT home game next week.

Patriot League final: Lehigh at Colgate (7, CBS Sports Network)

Braeden Smith and top-seeded Colgate (24-9) aim for the program’s fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Sixth-seeded Lehigh (14-17) has won at third-seeded Lafayette and second-seeded Boston University to earn the school’s first trip to the conference final since 2017.

Bracket impact: Colgate projects as a No. 15 seed and could rise up a line if there are enough upsets elsewhere. With a sub-.500 record, Lehigh would earn a trip to Dayton for the play-in round if it wins.

Big 12 second round: Cincinnati vs. Kansas (approx. 9:30, ESPN2)

Cincinnati (19-13) rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to defeat West Virginia, 90-85, on Tuesday. That didn’t help the Bearcats, but upending sixth-seeded Kansas (22-9) would be useful.

Bracket impact: The Bearcats are far enough off the board that one more victory probably won’t get the job done. And it’s reasonable to wonder whether there will be only partial credit for this one because the Jayhawks are down Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar for the Big 12 tournament.

Big Sky final: Montana vs. Montana State (11:30, ESPN2)

A Treasure State showdown will settle the Big Sky’s automatic bid for the first time since 1986. Third-seeded Montana (23-10) won both regular season matchups with the fifth-seeded Bobcats (16-17), who are on their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Bracket impact: Strictly a one-bid league no matter what, but Montana will be at least a No. 15 seed and perhaps a No. 14 if it prevails. A .500 Montana State joins Stetson, Wagner and whoever wins the SWAC and potentially the MEAC as the most likely candidates for a trip to Dayton.

Pac-12 first round: Utah vs. Arizona State (11:30, Pac-12 Networks)

Sixth-seeded Utah (18-13) was a borderline tournament team a week ago. Then it went and lost to Oregon State and Oregon, and now the Utes need a lengthy stay in Las Vegas to have any sort of hope at a field of 68 appearance. No. 11 seed Arizona State (14-17) is up first.

Bracket impact: Nothing yet. Utah will be worth keeping an eye on only if it can with this one and a quarterfinal against Colorado, and even then the Utes will still have work to do.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZMCxu9GtqmhqYGeBcHySaGhsZ56YrqJ506isq6aRorKvwIybqZqbm5rBsLjOoLBo