NEWS AND NOTES
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which is actually one of the better overall games of the day between Vermont and UNC Greensboro – CLICK HERE
-Ohio State, Dayton, Florida State, Washington, Georgetown, and Marquette all won buy games.
-Florida beat Providence so easily that it may as well have been a buy game even though Florida was the road team. Providence has not looked good, and that is an understatement. On the other hand, Florida is at least passing the eye test now. They could be high in the rankings at the end of the year just like they were at the beginning.
-Miami FL also got a really nice win against Temple in Brooklyn. Miami’s record is looking better and better, and with a smattering of decent wins it may be time to start paying a little bit of attention.
-San Francisco led at Stanford for the vast majority of the game, but not at the end. Stanford finally got control in the final minutes and ended up winning 64-56.
-Creighton picked up a very respectable home win against Oklahoma to improve to 9-2 on the year.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-TENNESSEE AT CINCINNATI. Tennessee is coming off a loss to rival Memphis, which was probably more damaging to their egos than it was to their resume. Cincinnati has looked like an NIT team on their best day, and is coming off the most stupidistiest (I like making words up) loss I have ever seen in my life. It’s definitely a winnable road game for the Vols.
-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT LSU. ETSU needs a win like this if they want to show that they belong inside the bubble. It is more than just a test for them. It is a chance to really put a quality win on their resume.
-DEPAUL AT CLEVELAND STATE. This is a winnable road game for a DePaul team that’s having a great year.
-RICHMOND AT OLD DOMINION. This is an old CAA rivalry, but this edition of it appears to be a mismatch. Richmond is off to a great start and has been a big surprise in a good way, whereas Old Dominion has been a huge disappointment.
-VCU AT CHARLESTON. This is a tougher road game than what many realize. Charleston, while off to a bit of a slow start, is still good and still tough to beat at home.
-HOUSTON BAPTIST AT STEPHEN F AUSTIN (Southland). If SFA dominates the rest of their schedule I think they’ll end up inside the bubble.
-UTAH STATE VS SOUTH FLORIDA (Battleground 2K19). This is a chance for Utah State to pick up some more wins away from home if they’re able to hold serve.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Michigan State has struggled this season, but if they can win this game tonight, then they will be the first Big Ten team to win a Big Ten road game!
-NORTH CAROLINA AT GONZAGA. This should have been a big game, but given how poorly North Carolina has been playing and considering how beat up they are with injuries, this could end up looking a lot like a buy game.
-SAINT MARY’S AT ARIZONA STATE. Both teams have looked good, but both teams’ profiles could really use a win like this. It should be a fun one.
-UTAH VS KENTUCKY (Las Vegas). It’s usually around mid-to-late December that you really see Kentucky start to improve. It will be interesting to see what they look like tonight. Utah has been decent, but not great this season. A win like this could completely change the complexion of their season, but it is far easier said than done.
BUY GAMES (and equivalences)
-Oregon State vs UTSA – Battleground 2k19
-Stony Brook @ Virginia
-Western Carolina @ Xavier – WCU is a surprising 7-2 so X better not overlook them
-Radford @ Mississippi State
-Oakland @ Syracuse
-Miami OH @ Louisville
-Albany @ Saint John’s
-Baylor vs UT Martin (Battleground 2K19)
-Montana @ Oregon