-KANSAS AT OHIO STATE. This is a showcase game between two teams that could end up as #1 seeds. Kansas has a loss to Michigan State, but they have been absolutely blowing out people lately. They haven’t beaten any heavyweights, but Belmont and Richmond are decent teams, and Kansas just clobbered them. It should be an electric atmosphere in Columbus today as these two go at it.
-ILLINOIS VS MISSOURI (Braggin’ Rights!!). It’s one of the bigger and better out of conference rivalries, and it is seemingly always an exciting game. This year, the only loss between the two teams is Missouri’s loss to Louisville back in November. Both teams are ranked, both are playing for a shot at a good seed, and both are looking for a quality win away from home. Oh yea, and both are looking for the bragging rights.
-FLORIDA VS KANSAS STATE. This game is being played in Kansas City. Florida is looking to rebound from what would have been a big win at Arizona had they not folded in the final minute of each half. K State could use a big win on their profile as well.
-TEMPLE VS SYRACUSE. Temple is coming off a loss to a Canisius team that has been a surprise this year and is looking to rebound from that. The Owls got off to a great start, but they’ve struggled a little lately. Syracuse continues to look like a #1 seed whenever they play.
-MURRAY STATE AT DAYTON. Dayton will be at home, but they will be without Kevin Dillard. It’s one of Murray State’s toughest remaining games, and with so few opportunities to impress the selection committee, their margin for error is small. It’s not a win that will blow the committee away, but it is likely to be one of the better wins on their profile if they pull it off.
-LSU AT MARQUETTE. Both teams have respectable records and are looking to build their resume. This is a chance for us to learn something about both teams. LSU lost badly at Boise State, which up until now has been their only real test of the season. Marquette’s record is good, but they don’t have any huge wins yet and are coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Green Bay.
-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT NEW MEXICO. New Mexico is unbeaten and appears to be playing for a protected seed. South Dakota State is back at full strength, and if they want any shot at all at being considered for an at-large bid then they need a win like this on their profile.
-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT NC STATE. Saint Bonaventure has not played well on the road so far, and needs some big road wins if they want to get the committee’s attention. NC State hasn’t looked like the #6 team in the country, which is where they were ranked to start the year, but they do have just two losses and are unbeaten at home.
-BRADLEY AT VIRGINIA TECH. Both teams are 8-2 and could use a good win.
-LOUISVILLE VS WESTERN KENTUCKY. This game is being played down in Nashville. It is somewhat of a rivalry game. WKU has played them tough, and even beaten them in the past when it appeared that Louisville was the superior team, so it will be interesting to see how it goes tonight.
-SOUTHERN MISS AT WICHITA STATE. Southern Miss has a good record, but isn’t nearly as proven as Wichita is. Like a lot of MVC teams, they have a good record with some good wins and are set up nicely to make the NCAAs if they can do well in conference.
-EVANSVILLE AT BUTLER. Butler is having a big year. Evansville has been respectable, and it is somewhat of a rivalry game, but they’re nowhere near as accomplished as Butler is at this point in time.
-TEXAS AT MICHIGAN STATE. Texas has played away from home, but this is their first true road game of the year. They need some big wins at some point if they want to be taken seriously. Right now, the loss to Chaminade is still a very big black mark.
-FLORIDA STATE AT CHARLOTTE. Florida State has talent and should be better, but right now they’re just 6-4 and don’t have much in the way of impressiveness on their profile. Charlotte is off to a good 11-1 start, but still hasn’t had too many tests, so it’s an important game for them as well. They do have some enthusiasm around their program, and beating a team like Florida State at home will help them build on that.
-PRINCETON AT BUCKNELL. I keep insisting that Bucknell is an NCAA Tournament caliber team. A win gets them to 12-1, but almost no one has noticed them or acknowledged them.
-CANISIUS AT UNLV. With just two losses on the year and a win over Temple, Canisius has a chance to really make a name for themselves. UNLV is good, but they haven’t always looked as good as their talent indicates they should be, and perhaps they need to be on upset alert in this one.
-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT UTAH STATE. Another game that is under the radar, but could turn out to be very important. Utah State has just one loss on the year, and Southern Illinois comes in with a decent record.
-OLE MISS AT INDIANA STATE. Both teams have potential, and both have good records, but both need quality wins on their resume.
-MARSHALL AT KENTUCKY. Marshall has been somewhat underwhelming this year. Kentucky has three losses, but has looked solid lately and should be able to get it done at home.
-WRIGHT STATE AT CINCINNATI. Cincinnati can get to 12-0 with a win. Wright State is a modest 8-3, which is much better than what was expected out of them, but they appear to be way overmatched today.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT SAN FRANCISCO. San Francisco is a modest 5-4, but has just lost one game at home, so it won’t be a cakewalk for SDSU.
-EAST CAROLINA AT UMASS. Both teams have respectable records, but neither team appears to have a whole lot of strength on their resumes, and could really use this win today.
-VIRGINIA VS OLD DOMINION. Old Dominion is shockingly bad at 1-10 this year, which makes this in-state match up a lot less appealing than it originally looked like it would be when it was scheduled. A win gets the Cavs to 10-2.
-WOFFORD AT XAVIER. Xavier has a nice win against Butler and no real bad losses other than Vanderbilt. They cannot afford to lose games such as this one if they want to remain in the discussion, though.
-RICHMOND AT GEORGE MASON. After getting stomped by Kansas, it is hard to say whether or not Richmond is good enough to build the resume they need. These are two teams that have looked good at times, but still have a lot of work to do.
-ARIZONA STATE AT TEXAS TECH. Arizona State is 9-2 on the year, but this is their first true road game.
-SAN DIEGO AT OREGON STATE. A win gets the Beavers to 9-2.
-ILLINOIS CHICAGO AT MIAMI, OH. A win gets UIC to 10-2. They should make quite a bit of noise in the Horizon League and are worth paying attention to.
-AMERICAN AT GEORGETOWN. Two DC teams going at it, but Georgetown is clearly superior.
-AUSTIN PEAY AT ILLINOIS STATE. A win for Illinois State gets them to 9-3. A strong showing in conference should get them in a good position.
-TENNESSEE TECH AT OKLAHOMA STATE. Oklahoma State can get to 10-1 with a win.
-MCNEESE STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA. A win gets the Heels to 9-3.
-COPPIN STATE AT IOWA. The Hawkeyes are off to a good start and can get to 11-2 with a win. Their real tests will come during conference play, though.
-ARIZONA VS EAST TENNESSEE STATE (Diamond Head Classic). Arizona could be tested in this tournament, but not today.
-MIAMI, FL AT HAWAII (Diamond Head Classic). Hawaii is tough to beat at home, and Miami has just one loss on the year, along with some pretty good wins, so this game is worth tuning in to.
-UMBC AT DEPAUL. I don’t know how long this will last, but a win will get DePaul to a very respectable 9-3.
-HOUSTON BAPTIST AT OREGON. A win gets the Ducks to 10-2.
-LMU AT SAINT LOUIS. A win gets the Billikins to a respectable 8-3.
-THE CITADEL AT GEORGIA TECH. I wasn’t big on Georgia Tech at all, but a win gets them to 8-2 on the year, and they have looked solid when I’ve watched them play.
-LAFAYETTE AT MINNESOTA. A win gets the Gophers to 12-1.