Afternoon Roundup: Online Pundits

----Andy Katz weighs in on St. Joe’s as a 1 or a 2 seed. "In our case, there would be an emotional boost of being No. 1," Coach Phil Martelli said after the loss to Xavier.

Tell it to the ‘Zags, who’d welcome a 1 seed with historic enthusiasm and whose prospects improved (marginally) with Duke, Stanford and St. Joe’s recent losses. Having beaten Georgia, Maryland, George Washington, Missouri and Washington, Gonzaga deserves serious consideration. But the team’s two losses (to Stanford in Oakland and St. Joe’s in New York) suggest Mark Few’s club will not compare favorably with other potential top seeds. Kentucky, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma State might have to lose their respective conference tournaments for a mid-major to make history this Sunday.

----While his colleague, Dick Vitale, says that the loss to Xavier cost St. Joe’s a 1 seed. His picks? Duke, Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Stanford.

Kentucky is a bit of a stretch. While the Wildcats have been hot of late, they’ve been beating up on the SEC’s weaker teams. Their best wins (against North Carolina and Mississippi State) both came in early January.

----Mike Fish argues that conference tournaments are all about the money.

Hard to disagree. Unless you’re Xavier (IN the field of 65 after beating St. Joe’s), Washington (IN), Notre Dame (OUT) or Purdue (OUT).

----ESPN’s Bubble Watch has Florida State among those still in contention for a bid.

Not going to happen. Entering their conference tournament, the Seminoles had lost four in a row. They went 6-10 in ACC Play. Finally, despite assertions to the contrary, the NCAA Selection Committee considers the number of teams from each conference. In a year with the MWC Champ might be an at-large and the PAC-10 may only have two teams in the tournament, the ACC won’t have seven.

----Mike DeCourcy believes the loss to Xavier is a good thing for St. Joe’s ahead of “a six-game season.”

Perhaps. But Xavier exposed the Hawks’ weaknesses and the drubbing no doubt lowered the confidence of St. Joe’s less-heralded contributors.