MID-WEEK NOTES
-What looked to be a week of showcase games has given us some very unexciting results. Florida blew out Kentucky, Kansas blew out Kansas State, Michigan State blew Michigan’s doors off, and Michigan’s windows out, and basically blew Michigan’s roof off as well. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a top four team get absolutely beaten down like that. Wow.
-A sad and scary moment for Nerlens Noel of Kentucky. A knee injury in last night’s Florida game has likely ended his season, and since he is an NBA prospect, it has also likely ended his college career. I realize Kentucky had just cracked the rankings, but I believed them to be close to the bubble as it was. Without him, they may fall out of the picture entirely. I hope that he is able to recover and that this does not impact his being an NBA prospect.
-Indiana State lost last night at Missouri State, which is a crippling loss for a bubble team. That’s’ the kind of loss that could end up with them getting left out of the field.
HIGHLIGTED GAMES
-SYRACUSE AT CONNECTICUT (Big East). This is going to be the last chapter of this series for quite a while. It’s the latest in many great rivalries that are being ended due to conference realignment. Unfortunately, it only has tournament implications for one of the teams, but UConn fans will be jacked up high for this one. With no NCAA Tournament, this is their showcase game of the year.
-DUKE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). All of rivalry week is built around this game. It isn’t quite the clash of the titans that we’ve seen in previous years. North Carolina needs a big road win to build up their resume. Duke needs to hold serve if they want any shot at a #1 seed.
-OLE MISS AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Both teams are on the bubble, but TAMU appears to be dropping off of it at a rapid pace. They need a win tonight.
-NEBRASKA AT INDIANA (Big Ten). A conference game with the feel of an OOC buy game.
-CHARLOTTE AT BUTLER (Atlantic Ten). Charlotte is on the bubble, and if they want to get inside it, they need a win like this.
-DEPAUL AT NOTRE DAME (Big East). I guess this is sort of a rivalry. With ND moving to the ACC, I’ll be curious to see if they keep this and the Marquette series going.
-AKRON AT EASTERN MICHIGAN (MAC). I think Akron needs to win out to be seriously considered.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big Twelve). Okie State could use some road wins. At the very least they don’t want to drop a road game to a team as weak as Texas Tech.
-MIAMI, FL AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC). The more I think about it, the more I think Miami is completely justified to top the S curve. This is a rivalry game, but FSU appears to be way overmatched.
-LA SALLE AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten). La Salle is inside the bubble, but close to it, and could use a nice road win.
-COLGATE AT BUCKNELL (Patriot League). Bucknell needs to win out to be seriously considered, and unfortunately for them that might not even be enough.
-UCF AT MEMPHIS (Conference USA). Memphis is coming off a big road win at Southern Miss, and has actually cracked the rankings, but considering how weak their schedule is I still don’t see them as having a huge margin for error.
-ARIZONA STATE AT UTAH (Pac Twelve). Arizona State cannot afford a loss in this one.
-CREIGHTON AT NORTHERN IOWA (Missouri Valley). Despite two straight losses, Creighton is still in the top 25. They need a road win because even though their ranking has gone up, their profile certainly has not.
-DRAKE AT WICHITA STATE (Missouri Valley). Drake has been a challenge for teams at home, but not so much on the road. Wichita cannot afford to lose this one.
-MISSOURI AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Will Mizzou finally win a road game?? If they lose this, a very strong case could be made for leaving them out entirely.
-TULANE AT SOUTHERN MISS (Conference USA). With no top 100 wins I’m not sure why people are still high on Southern Miss. Beating Tulane accomplishes nothing, but I keep them on the radar only because other people seem to like them. Perhaps they see something that I don’t.
-IOWA STATE AT TEXAS (Big Twelve). Iowa State’s resume has been trending up, and they have the chance to add another road win to it tonight.
-WEST VIRGINI AAT BAYLOR (Big Twelve). Baylor simply cannot afford to lose this game. They’re in serious trouble as it is.
-NEVADA AT WYOMING (Mountain West). Wyoming cannot afford to lose this game. They’re in serious trouble as it is.
-UNLV AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West). Air Force is way outside the bubble, but their home floor has become somewhat of a snake pit. UNLV, on the other hand, has struggled in several big games this year, so they really need to be on upset alert. On top of that, the Rebels could really use a road win like this right about now.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West). Colorado State is in the rankings, is red hot, and has been playing very well at home. They’re a serious contender for the MWC title, and perhaps even a protected seed. San Diego State is also safely inside the bubble, but a road win like this will help them out even more.
-OREGON AT WASHINGTON (Pac Twelve). Oregon has dealt with injuries and gone into a bit of a slump. They need a nice road win like this to bring them out of it.