NEWS AND NOTES
-We will be recording our Bracket Rundown Video Podcast tonight. The current plan is for us to throw any and all attempts to guess the committee out the window and just do our own criteria for how good we think the teams are. That may change, though, but for now that is the plan.
-Our latest Under the Radar Video Podcasts features a discussion about Jerry Tarkanian, as well as what’s happening at South Carolina State. We also run through all 23 of the non-power conferences. To check it out – CLICK HERE
-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day, which is HUGELY important – CLICK HERE
TONIIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-TULSA AT UCONN (American). Tulsa is right on the bubble, and this is a hugely important road game for them. It won’t be easy to win, but to make the NCAA Tournament you have to be able to show that you’re capable of winning games that aren’t easy to win.
-MINNESOTA AT IOWA (Big Ten). Iowa appears to be solid, and they should be able to beat non-tournament teams at home.
-PURDUE AT RUTGERS (Big Ten). Purdue is pretty far outside the bubble, but has been playing well lately. They really need to sprint to the finish if they want a chance at making the field, though.
-OLE MISS AT FLORIDA (SEC). We have Ole Miss pretty far inside the bubble. If they’re a true at-large caliber team, this is the kind of road game they should be able to win. It’s not easy to win at Florida, but tournament teams can win games that aren’t easy to win.
-OLD DOMINION AT UTSA (Conference USA). If ODU wins out they should end up inside the bubble.
-SMU AT HOUSTON (American). I originally had this labeled as a CUSA game, which is what happens when you rush through it and forget what year it is. Houston has given some teams fits on their home court, but it’s the kind of game you would expect SMU to be able to win.
-SAINT MARY’S AT BYU (West Coast). Both teams are outside the bubble, and if they want any shot at all at getting in they pretty much need to win out. This will at least be a notable win for whoever pulls it off.
-LMU AT GONZAGA (West Coast). This is a conference game that will probably end up looking like a buy game.
-STANFORD AT UTAH (Pac Twelve). Stanford is plummeting fast. If they win this it could turn their season around, but that’s far easier said than done.
-MICHIGAN AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Illinois is starting to play a little better, but they need to be able to beat non-tournament teams at home.