NEWS AND NOTES
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-It was a very eventful Friday evening, at least by Friday evening standards. Arizona throttled Washington at Washington in what was the evening’s most boring game.
-In the Ivy League, Harvard jumped out to a big lead against Columbia, but was just barely able to hold on as Columbia came thundering back. The win allows Harvard to stay atop the Ivy League.
-Toledo, who we again recently started championing, lost at home to Kent State right on cue. It was an overtime thriller between two teams who are going after the double bye in the MAC Tournament.
-Cleveland State, who is in a three way tie for first place, fell down big at Detroit, but fought back to take the lead in the final minute, only to lose it in the final seconds. It’s a huge loss for the Vikings, because the first place team in Horizon receives a double bye and earns home court advantage throughout the conference tournament.
-Valpo and Green Bay were the other two teams who were part of the three way tie in the Horizon League. Valpo continues to have an an impressive year as they got the big win at home against Green Bay to move into first place.
-Manhattan and Iona, which is probably the best rivalry in the Metro Atlantic, put on another show as it once again came down to the final seconds. Manhattan had won four of their last five, and had just one loss at home on the season, so it wasn’t an easy game for Iona to win, but they made big plays down the stretch and pulled it off. This Iona team is really playing well right now, and if they do win the automatic bid they could really make someone sweat in the round of 64.
-And last but not least, NJIT, the team of the people. lost an exciting game to Albany. Albany is unbeaten in the America East, and with just four games remaining, all of which seem winnable, it’s looking like they’re going to run the table in the league and earn home court advantage in the conference tournament. The game went back and fourth, but NJIT missed some key freethrows down the stretch and Albany pulled down some big offensive rebounds as they went on to win
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-OHIO STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Ohio State could really use a big road win to improve their seeding. Michigan State is right on the bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). UNC can get a protected seed, but to get it they need to avoid road losses to non-tournament teams.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT XAVIER (Big East). The Johnnies are right on the bubble and could use a big road win to stabilize their profile. Xavier is in pretty good shape, but still has room to improve.
-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten). Dayton is inside the bubble and should be okay if they avoid losses to non tournament teams.
-BAYLOR AT KANSAS (Big Twelve). Both teams look like protected seeds, and Kansas is knocking on the door for a #1 seed. Like many Big Twelve games, it’s two ranked teams who can add a quality win to their profile.
-EAST CAROLINA AT TEMPLE (American). I’m starting to like this Temple team and expect them to end up in the field. But, if they drop a few games like this their status could plummet in a hurry.
-TULANE AT CINCINNATI (American). Cincinnati is in good shape and needs to hold serve against the non-tournament teams.
-AUBURN AT GEORGIA (SEC). Georgia is coming off a huge win, and now appears to be very solidly in the NCAA Tournament picture. They’ve played well at home this year and should be able to hold off an improving, but still far from tournament caliber Auburn team.
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Kentucky needs to win to remain the overall #1 team.
-VCU AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic Ten). Both teams DESPERATELY need this win. VCU has struggled since losing key players to injuries, and they need to show the committee they can win without them, which they have yet to do. GW has also been in decline, and needs a win to resuscitate their season. This is also developing into a good conference rivalry, so it should be a good one.
-WAKE FOREST AT VIRGINIA (ACC). This is a very winnable game for Virginia, despite the recent injury.
-OREGON AT UCLA (Pac Twelve). Both teams are squarely on the bubble, so this is a hugely important and pivotal game for both of them.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT IOWA STATE (Big Twelve). Two more ranked Big Twelve teams who can pick up yet another quality win. Iowa State appears to be a protected seed, and although West Virginia doesn’t have that kind of a profile yet, winning a game like this will boost it way up.
-SETON HALL AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Seton Hall has had a player leave the team, and is currently in a tailspin. It’ll be interesting to see how they adjust to the change. They’re right on the bubble and need a win like this to stabilize their tournament chances.
-LSU AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Tennessee is coming off a nice road against Vanderbilt, but they still have a lot of work to do to even end up in consideration. LSU appears to be safe, but a road win like this would still be a nice addition to their profile.
-NC STATE AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). NC State is on the outside looking in, but if they can pull off a win like this they could end up on the bubble pretty quickly. Perhaps even inside of it. Louisville is in good shape and should end up as a protected seed if they keep winning at the same clip they have been.
-SFA AT TAMUCC (Southland). If SFA wins out, the committee should at least consider them.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TCU (Big Twelve). TCU has lost 28 of their last 29 conference games, but winning on the road there still isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. Okie State has been playing much better in the past few weeks, and can end up as a protected seed if they keep it up.
-WICHITA STATE AT ILLINOIS STATE (Missouri Valley). Wichita State is clearly the better team, but it’s a showcase home game for Illinois State, so it won’t just be a walk in the park for the Shockers.
-VILLANOVA AT BUTLER (Big East). These are the two best and two highest ranked teams in the conference, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see both of them end up as protected seeds. They both also seem to be improving as the year progresses, so this should be a fun one.
-DUKE AT SYRACUSE (ACC). This isn’t quite the showcase as it was a year ago. Syracuse is ineligible for the postseason, and Duke appears to be a solid #1 seed.
-FLORIDA AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). TAMU is right on the bubble, and they need to pick up this win at home.
-TEXAS TECH AT TEXAS (Big Twelve). Texas is in pretty good shape despite a high number of losses. All but one of their losses have come against teams who are likely to end up as protected seeds, so they shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up this win.
-OKLAHOMA AT KANSAS STATE (Big Twelve). Oklahoma has been somewhat inconsistent, but they’ve played really well lately and can add another road win to their profile today.
-PEPPERDINE AT GONZAGA (West Coast). This is a conference game that will end up looking like a buy game. I do think Gonzaga will get a #1 seed if they win out.
-COLORADO STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State is safely inside the bubble, and Colorado State could really boost their profile and end up feeling really safe as well if they’re able to pick up a big road win like this one.
-MARYLAND AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). Maryland hasn’t been playing quite as well lately, but this is still a winnable conference road game for them.
-OLD DOMINION AT UTEP (Conference USA). I don’t think either team will end up inside the bubble, but these are two of the better teams in CUSA so it should be a fun game.
-UCONN AT SMU (American). UConn is a long way from the bubble, and if they want to end up in a position to make the field they really need a big win like this on their profile. This would be the biggest win of any remaining on their schedule.
-ARKANSAS AT OLE MISS (SEC). Both these teams have had great years, and Ole Miss has really improved as the season has gone on. This is a showcase home game for them, so it should be a great atmosphere.