NEWS AND NOTES
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-West Virginia got a huge road win against Texas Tech, which will give thier resume a nice boost. It was a close game, but WVU had a lead for most of it, and once it looked like they had the game wrapped up Chris Beard STILL managed to keep things interesting by totally flipping out at the officials and getting tossed out of the game.
-Alabama really had to sweat at South Carolina, but they held on for the 81-78 win.
-Texas also had to sweat against a rather pitiful K State team, but held on for just an 80-77 win.
-Metaphorically speaking in regards to the NCAA Tournament, Syracuse isn’t inside the house, but they are at least right outside in the yard. They got a conference road win against NC State which keeps it within reach.
-Michigan State got a much needed win against Penn State. Both teams were really kind of bubblicous, and the Spartans still have work to do, but it was a big step in the right direction.
-Arkansas held on to beat Kentucky 81-80 and maintain their spot right on the bubble.
-Saint John’s, who had been on a roll, fell at Butler last night in a bit of a surprising loss considering how well the Johnnies had been playing.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-UCONN AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). UConn has slipped a little bit, but only a little bit. They are still safely inside the bubble and will remain in good shape if they can pick up this road win. Providence has struggled this year, but they’ve also looked really good at times so it’s by no means an automatic win for the Huskies.
-INDIANA AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Indiana is coming off a nice win against Iowa and has a winnable road game at Northwestern tonight, which will help stabilize their resume a little more.
-HOUSTON AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American). This should be an easy road win for the Cougars, but we’ve seen them stub their toes before so you don’t want to take wins for granted.
-VIRGINIA AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). Virginia has cracked the top ten and is playing really well right now. Georgia Tech isn’t inside our bubble, but they have looked like a tournament team at times and are just a few big wins away from making a strong case for themselves. Granted, I guess a lot of teams are only a few “big wins away,” but still…
-NORTHERN IOWA AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley). Drake is coming off their first loss of the season, which was a somewhat surprising result against Valpo. They should still be inside the bubble and should be able to get this win tonight at home.
-WICHITA STATE AT UCF (American). No one is really talking about Wichita State, and while they’re probably not inside the bubble they do have a rather decent 11-4 record and should at least be in the discussion if they win out.
-RUTGERS AT IOWA (Big Ten). Rutgers went through a bit of a slump but has been playing well lately. Iowa seems to be heading in the other direction. They’ve lost four of their last five and need a big win like this to swing the momentum back in their direction.
-GEORGIA AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Tennessee still has a strong resume, but they haven’t looked all that strong lately. They are coming off a win against Kentucky, and normally that’s a really good thing, but this year it’s just sort of blah. They need to take care of business and hold serve tonight.
-MARQUETTE AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Marquette continues to be all over the map, but even if they play at the top of their game getting a win at Villanova is probably still above their ceiling. Nova hasn’t looked lights out impressive in their last two games, but all and all they’ve been really strong.
-MISSOURI AT OLE MISS (SEC). Mizzou continues to climb the seedlist. Ole Miss isn’t in the discussion for a bid, but they did beat Tennessee at home earlier this year and are capable of playing well on their home floor.
-RHODE ISLAND AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten). Every game has a pivotal feel for SLU. They were hit hard by COVID protocol, have a lot of games to make up, and they have a very small margin for error the rest of the way.
-LSU AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). LSU is straddling the bubble and needs to hold serve in this one tonight.
-WISCONSIN AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). Wisconsin is coming off a loss to Illinois where the Illini just kind of ran away from them. They’re still in position to earn a protected seed and this should be a winnable road game for them.
-SAN JOSE STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State is inside the bubble and just needs to hold serve tonight.