Road to Madness: Latest analysis to help your bracket research

The regular season is over, conference tournaments are upon us, and the bracket officially drops Sunday. That's right: The Madness has arrived.

theScore has conference championship week fully covered, giving you all the information you need heading into Selection Sunday.

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Duke's injuries | Santa Clara's stunner | Florida's chase for 1-seed

Tuesday, March 9

Injury woes hit Duke

The No. 1 team in the country will be severely shorthanded for the ACC Tournament and perhaps beyond. Injuries have hit Duke at the worst possible time, as starters Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II are set to miss the entirety of the conference tournament. While coach Jon Scheyer remains optimistic that Ngongba can return for the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils will have to make a deep run for Foster to have any hopes of playing again this season.

The big question is, how much will the injuries actually affect Duke? Foster and Ngongba combine for 19.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Both are elite defensive players, and Foster is second on the team in 3-point shooting. So, yes, the Blue Devils will certainly feel the loss as they attempt to make a title push. However, as long as Cameron Boozer stays off the injury report, Duke fans can still count on their team playing the first weekend in April. The star freshman arguably has the strongest claim to the nation's top player and will now presumably get even more touches as bench players are thrust into key roles. One of those who will have to step up is his twin brother, Cayden - the likely replacement for Foster.

👉 Check out all of the NCAA Tournament odds on theScore Bet here

Santa Clara's bubble magic

Bubble teams, take notice: This is how you grab the selection committee's attention and essentially ensure your spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Santa Clara entered Monday's WCC Tournament semifinal with its place in the NCAA tourney in question. That uncertainty largely subsided Tuesday at 1:30 a.m. ET as the Broncos finalized a dramatic upset of Saint Mary's. They're now off to the WCC championship to face Gonzaga and will almost assuredly return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Steve Nash's final year in 1996. The Gaels may have hurt their seeding in the loss, but the WCC is still likely to send three teams to March Madness in Gonzaga's final season in the conference.

Florida has No. 1 seed in sights

Florida has yet to relinquish its title as reigning national champion, and it may not have to. The Gators, who are riding an 11-game winning streak, have been arguably the hottest team in the nation down the stretch. They've rebounded from a 5-4 start to the season by piledriving their SEC foes en route to securing a regular-season conference title. They sit at No. 4 in the latest AP Poll, their highest ranking since the preseason, while the latest edition of ESPN's bracketology has them holding the final 1-seed in the tournament.

Florida's path to a No. 1 seed likely hinges on the team making a decent run through the SEC Tournament, which is expected based on its sparkling 16-2 mark in conference.

The Gators have a bye to the quarterfinals in the conference tournament, meaning they'll avoid second-seeded Alabama and third-seeded Arkansas until the title game. The two SEC teams to beat Florida this season - Missouri and Auburn - are on the same side of the bracket as the Gators. However, it's hard to imagine this version of the team falling to either opponent. Another SEC championship may well be in the cards for Todd Golden's group.

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