NEWS AND NOTES
-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day, which is actually one of the better games of the day overall – CLICK HERE
-For our latest Merit Rankings/Bracket Projections – CLICK HERE
-It was a rather chalky Sunday. Vermont took Kentucky to the wall after being down double digits in the second half, but couldn’t quite get over the top. Kentucky will win bigger games, but this was a harder game to win than most realize, and they deserve more credit for winning it than most will give them.
-Arkansas also blew past what we still think is a good Bucknell team, but Bucknell is off to a rough start.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-MINNESOTA AT PROVIDENCE (Gavitt Games). Both teams are likely NCAA Tournament teams. I think this Providence team is really good. If Minney could get this one on the road it may turn out to be one of the better wins on their profile come March.
-CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT MICHIGAN. This is a buy game, but both teams come in 1-0 and although Central Michigan appears to be overmatched, they could end up making some noise in the MAC this year.
-LA SALLE AT PENNSYLVANIA (Big Five). I’m not expecting much out of either of these teams, but it’s the Big Five, so we gotta talk about it!
-OLD DOMINION AT JAMES MADISON. I miss these former Colonial rivalries. Both come into this 1-0 and can build up some early momentum with a win.
-VANDERBILT AT BELMONT. Belmont is coming off a very close loss at Washington in their opener. They’re a really strong UTR team, and Vandy could really have their hands full as the road team in this crosstown matchup.
-WESTERN MICHIGAN AT SOUTH CAROLINA. This is a buy game, but we’ll highlight it because of Western Michigan’s potential and because both come into this one 1-0.
-ORAL ROBERTS AT TULSA. Will Tulsa fall to 0-2 on the season?
-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT MURRAY STATE. This may be Chad’s UTR game of the day. Both come in 1-0 and both are expected to finish at or near the top of their conferences. Middle Tennessee has been to the Round of 32 for two consecutive years, and although they lost a lot of their key players from last year they should still be a force in CUSA.
-COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON AT WICHITA STATE. This is a HUGELY important game for CofC. They are one of the UTR teams that we feel has a legitimate chance to land inside the bubble and make the tournament even if they fail to win their conference tournament. This is the kidn of game they need to be able to win in order for that to happen, though.
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT SAINT MARY’S. New Mexico State is a solid program, but they don’t get many chances to establish themselves as being nationally relevant. They have the chance to do that tonight. This may actually be one of SMC’s toughest OOC games, so it’s important that they take care of business.
-WYOMING AT OREGON STATE. Both teams are 1-0, and both appear to be much improved from a season ago. Making The Dance may be a long shot, but this is a chance for each team to pick up some early season momentum.
-RHODE ISLAND AT NEVADA. Rhody appears to be a solid tournament caliber team, but they’ll have limited chances to build their profile, at least up to the point to where they’d be considered for a protected seed. Having said that, this would be a really solid road win against a good Nevada team.
BUY GAMES
-Jacksonville State @ Richmond
-Eastern Kentucky @ Ole Miss – both teams 1-0
-Gardner Webb @ Florida
-Western Carolina @ Cincinnati
-Mount Saint Mary’s @ Notre Dame
-Austin Peay @ Virginia
-New Orleans @ Oakland
-North Florida @ VCU
-Saint Peter’s @ Northwestern
-TAMUCC @ Baylor – both teams 1-0
-North Texas @ Nebraska – both teams 1-0
-Milwaukee @ Iowa State
-Charlotte @ Oklahoma State – both teams 1-0
-Rider @ Xavier
-Wagner @ Missouri – both teams 1-0
-Prairie View A&M @ Oregon
-Mississippi Valley State @ Utah
-Tennessee Tech @ TCU – both teams 1-0
-North Dakota State @ USC