UALR men need wins, help to earn bye for Sun Belt Tournament

BURN THE HORSE

   UALR still has three games remaining in the regular season, but the Trojans remain on the outside looking in for one of two byes from the West Division at the Sun Belt Tournament in Hot Springs.

   After South Alabama's victory at Denver today, the division standings look like this:

Arkansas State 9-5
Louisiana-Lafayette 9-5
Denver 9-5
UALR 7-6
North Texas 6-7
Louisiana-Monroe 2-13

   Remember that this year the overall standings don't mean anything. It's entirely based on the division standings. Here's what has to happen for UALR to get a bye:

• UALR must win all three remaining games: @South Alabama, @Arkansas State and vs. North Texas
• Denver must lose both of its remaining games: @Louisiana-Lafayette and @North Texas
• And North Texas has to win at Arkansas State on Thursday night.

   If all three happened, the standings, assuming a ULL victory at ULM next Saturday, would be:
   1. ULL 11-5; 2. UALR 10-6; 3. ASU 9-7; 4. Denver 9-7; 5. UNT 8-8; 6. ULM 2-14
   And if somehow Louisiana-Monroe beat Louisiana-Lafayette next Saturday, UALR could win No. 1 seed tiebreaker with Louisiana-Lafayette.
   But UALR is on the wrong end of just about every other tiebreaker because of its losses to Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky. So finishing at 9-7 would probably push UALR down to the fourth seed. Finishing at 10-6 if ASU beats North Texas on Thursday would likely leave UALR third.