Check out Chad Sherwood’s SCGD here: https://hoopshd.com/2014/01/18/small-conference-game-of-the-day-january-18-2/
SPOTLIGHT GAMES
-PITTSBURGH AT SYRACUSE (ACC). Pitt has racked up a good record against a weak schedule, so this is by far their toughest test of the year. It’s still hard to say how good the Panthers are. Even if they manage to play well in a losing effort in this game I’ll have a little more respect for them, but as of now they really haven’t done anything that’s all that noteworthy.
LOUISVILLE AT UCONN (AAC). Both teams appear to be safe right now, but not nearly as far up the seed list as many were expecting. Louisville still doesn’t have a big win this year.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT KANSAS (Big Twelve). I think Oklahoma State is good, but Kansas is looking like the best team in the Big Twelve right now and I don’t think they’ll drop this one at home.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-TOLEDO AT AKRON (MAC). This is a tough road test for the Rockets. If they want any hope at all of being on the bubble, they pretty much need to win out.
-TENNESSEE AT KENTUCKY (SEC). We currently have Kentucky in, and Tennessee right on the bubble, so this is a huge game for the Vols.
-SMU AT UCF (AAC). SMU is having their best season years, and is squarely on the bubble right now. They need to take care of business on the road against a UCF team that doesn’t look like it will make the field.
-FLORIDA STATE AT VIRGINIA (AAC). Both teams have been inconsistent, but both also appear to be solidly in the NCAA picture, so it’s a potential good resume win for both teams.
-BOSTON COLLEGE AT NORTH CAROLINA (AAC). One never knows what UNC is going to do.
-SETON HALL AT GEORGETOWN (Big East). Georgetown can’t afford to drop this one.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT KANSAS STATE (Big Twelve). K State has been solid at home and shouldn’t have too much trouble winning today.
-MANHATTAN AT FAIRFIELD (MAAC). If Manhattan wins out they may have a shot at landing inside the bubble, but anything short of that likely won’t be enough.
-ARKANSAS AT GEORGIA (SEC). Arkansas is right on the bubble and needs to take care of business against non tournament teams on the road. The road is where they Razorbacks have struggled, and they really need to show they can win a game like this.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Both teams have good records, but lack good wins. I’m not convinced that either will make it, but they’ve both done enough to warrant keeping an eye on.
-OKLAHOMA AT BAYLOR (Big Twelve). Both teams are solid, and both could use this win to improve their resume.
-USC AT COLORADO (Big Twelve). Colorado needs to adjust to life without Dinwiddie to demonstrate to the committee that they can win without him.
-NC STATE AT DUKE (ACC). Duke has struggled this year, but they should be able to get this one at home.
-ALABAMA AT MISSOURI (SEC). Mizzou has struggled big time in the past week, even at home against weaker teams. They cannot afford to let that continue and need to take care of business today.
-FORDHAM AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten). SLU is steamrolling right now and a win will get them to 17-2 overall.
-LEMOYNE-OWEN (nondiv1) AT MEMPHIS. Seriously??
-NORTHWESTERN AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Indiana is coming off of a huge win against Wisconsin, and does not want to offset that with a bad loss today.
-DAYTON AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten). Dayton is really bubbly right now. Richmond has been somewhat disappointing and doesn’t look like a tournament team, but they’re still tough to beat at home, and one of the things Dayton MUST do is win on the road.
-INDIANA STATE AT WICHITA STATE (Missouri Valley). Indiana State appears to be the second best team in the MVC, and I have them just outside the bubble. If they can win this one, it will put them safely inside of it for now.
-DEPAUL AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Nova is still in the hunt for a #1 seed and needs to hold serve in this game.
-FLORIDA AT AUBURN (SEC). The Gators appear to be the best team in the SEC and shouldn’t have too much trouble picking this one up on the road.
-IOWA STATE AT TEXAS (Big Twelve). I have Texas outside the bubble, so this would be a huge win for the Longhorns if they can pick this one up.
-UCLA AT UTAH (Pac Twelve). Utah has played such a weak schedule that you pretty much have to ignore their bloated record. If they can’t win a game like this at home then they probably aren’t good enough to build their profile up enough to impress the committee.
-WAKE FOREST AT CLEMSON (AAC). Clemson is outside the bubble, but they may be able to reach it if they continue to string wins together.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve). Cal looks like a tournament team and should be able to hold serve at home.
-GONZAGA AT LMU (West Coast). Gonzaga has a small margin for error, and although LMU is not a tournament team, they may be tough to beat at home.
-CINCINNATI AT SOUTH FLORIDA (AAC). Cincinnati looks very good and should be able to add another road win to their profile tonight.
-MICHIGAN AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Michigan has been playing a lot better lately, but this is a huge order. I think they’re a solid tournament team and that their profile will continue to improve, but I don’t think they have it in them to beat one of the best teams in the country on the road.
-UNLV AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). I’m so big on San Diego State that I think they’ve got a shot at the #1 line. They’ll have to win out to get there, though. Either way, this is a very good team.
-UMASS AT ELON. Strange out of conference game. UMass has struggled, but has managed to keep winning. It’ll be interesting to see what they do on the road against what appears to be the best team in the SoCon.
-NEW MEXICO AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West). New Mexico is coming off a home loss to UNLV, and they’ve done very little that is noteworthy this year. If they drop this game, they’re going to be in real trouble.
-GEORGE WASHINGTON AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten). I think this is a road game that is tougher than it may appear. I really like this GW team and believe them to be solidly in the field right now, but their margin for error is far from infinite. Saint Bona, on the other hand has played some good ball, but come up just short in several of their games. They should be up for this one at home and could really make GW sweat.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Illinois has had a horrible week and needs a big win to right the ship.
-CREIGHTON AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Creighton has looked tough lately, but much of what they’ve done has come at home, so they need a solid road win to round out their profile and prove they aren’t just home court heroes.
-UTAH STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). Boise is good, but they did not challenge themselves out of conference and as a result don’t have any really notable wins. Their margin for error is small.