For Chad Sherwood’s SCGD, CLICK HERE: https://hoopshd.com/2014/01/15/small-conference-game-of-the-day-january-15/
-MICHIGAN STATE AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Northwestern won a big game against Illinois, but I don’t expect them to play up for tis one.
-UMASS AT GEORGE MASON (Atlantic Ten). UMass continues to roll, and Mason continues to disappoint.
-SOUTH FLORIDA AT SMU (AAC). SMU is right on the bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it.
-MISSOURI STATE AT INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley). These are probably the second and third best teams in the Valley. Missouri State is coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to Wichita State, so it’ll be interesting to see if they’re still hung over from that.
-CLEMSON AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). I still have Clemson outside the bubble, but they could definitely play their way on to it.
-GEORGETOWN AT XAVIER (Big East). Xavier has been very tough to beat at home, and Georgetown still has some work to do. it’s a big game for both teams.
-AUBURN AT TENNESSEE (SEC). I haven’t completely given up on Tennessee, but if they lose tonight I will.
-BUFFALO AT TOLEDO (MAC). Toledo is a solid 13-2, but they can only afford to lose one more game at most if they want to feel safe for an at-large.
-TCU AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big Twelve). Okie State shouldn’t have any trouble.
-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten). The Bonnies have been tough at times this year, but probably not tough enough to warrant inclusion in the field (although a win tonight will go a long way toward changing that). SLU is coming off an impressive win at Dayton and has now cracked the rankings.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT ALABAMA (SEC). I’m not ready to believe in Mississippi State just yet, but they are 11-4, so I may be getting there.
-BAYLOR AT TEXAS TECH (Big Twelve). Baylor shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up a road win.
-FLORIDA STATE AT MIAMI (ACC). I like this Florida State team, but they are incredibly inconsistent. As weak as Miami has been, they have improved as the year has gone on, so the Noles better be on upset alert.
-DAYTON AT FORDHAM (Atlantic Ten). This is the kind of road game that tournament teams simply need to win. Dayton has been good at times in managing big wins, but they’ve offset that by losing games that they should be expected to win….like this one. They really need to get it done.
-PURDUE AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). This is a game that both of these teams really need.
-UNLV AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West). Right now I have UNL:V on the outside looking in, and New Mexico on the inside, but not as far inside as they’d like to be, so I think this is big for both teams.
-FRESNO STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). I think this San Diego State team is incredible and don’t expect them to have any trouble tonight.
-WASHINGTON AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve). Cal is good, but still needs some wins to put themselves more safely inside the bubble. Washington was terrible OOC, but a switch has flipped since conference play began. A win today puts them at 12-6 overall with notable wins against Arizona State, Colorado and Cal. Two of those would have been on the road. That’s really not bad at all.