News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Jan 21st

NEWS AND NOTES

-For last night’s Hoops HD Bracket Rundown and Under the Radar Video Podcasts, where we build a bracket and debate it line by line as we go – CLICK HERE

-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day between Idaho and Montana – CLICK HERE

-Last night was another busy night in college basketball.  Villanova led for most of the game at Seton Hall, but had to barely hold on to avoid being the fourth top five team to lose this week.  Seton Hall isn’t in the rankings, but they’re still a team that is very tough to beat at home so Nova does deserve credit for what really was a good win.

-Texas got what was clearly their biggest win of the season with their upset win at West Virginia.  They had struggled on the road prior to last night’s game.  Not only did they add a much needed road win to their profile, they added one of the highest quality road wins that any team has managed this season.

-Nebraska has a long way to go, but they’ve also won four straight and last night knocked off Michigan State on the road.  While it’s a good win for a Nebraska team that is clearly heading in the right direction and still has time to land inside the bubble, Michigan State is suddenly in a bit of a tailspin.

-Baylor needed double overtime to knock off a Kansas State team that desperately needed a high caliber road win.

-Washington picked up a notable home win against Colorado that they really needed, and UCLA got a desperately needed road win against Oregon State.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-CHATTANOOGA AT UNC GREENSBORO (SoCon).  As we say for all their games Chattanooga will be in the discussion for an at-large if they win out, but anything short of that and they’ll really be in trouble, so every game has a do or die feel to it.

-KENTUCKY AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  Kentucky is slipping, but if they turn it around and finish strong then they should still end up as a protected seed.  This is the kind of road game they need to be able to win if they want to do that.

-MEMPHIS AT CINCINNATI (American).  Both of these teams are on the outside looking in right now and have a ton of work to do if they want to feel safe on Selection Sunday.

-IOWA AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  We like Iowa as a #1 seed at Hoops HD, and if they continue to play like they have been as they go through the Big Ten the real committee will likely end up feeling the same.

-MONMOUTH AT MANHATTAN (Metro Atlantic).  Monmouth appears to be relatively safely inside the bubble for now, but since every team they play from here on out is a sub tournament team then it’s important that they avoid bad losses.

-GRAND CANYON AT CHICAGO STATE (WAC).  The Team of the People!!!!  Grand Canyon will try to improve to a very impressive 17-2 on the year, which is remarkable for a transitional program.

-ARKANSAS STATE AT UT ARLINGTON (Sun Belt).  Arlington has a razor thin margin for error that they came dangerously close to when they lost their last game over the weekend.  They basically need to win out.  Arkansas State is off to a 5-1 start in conference play, so Arlington better not overlook them.

-LITTLE ROCK AT TEXAS STATE (Sun Belt).  Like UT Arlington, Little Rock has an extremely small margin for error if they want to be in a safe position to receive an at-large bid if they end up needing it.

-RICE AT UAB (Conference USA).  UAB should at least get a look by the committee if they win out and end up needing an at-large bid, but anything short of that and they’ll likely need the automatic bid.

-OHIO STATE AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Ohio State has shown signs of life on a few occasions, but where they sit now they’ll need to go on a huge run just to get themselves into the tournament picture.  Purdue continues to look like a protected seed and it should stay that way so long as they hold serve.

-ARIZONA STATE AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve).  We have both these teams on the bubble, and both really could use this win to help build their profile and to distance themselves from other bubble teams.

-USC AT OREGON (Pac Twelve).  USC has had a great year, but could still use some big road wins to really solidify their profile and make the case that they are a protected seed.  Oregon got a big road win at Utah last week and has been very tough to beat at home this year.

-GONZAGA AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  This is the premier rivalry in the West Coast Conference, and this year it’s a game that both teams really need.  Saint Mary’s is outside the bubble with no real strong wins, and Gonzaga’s profile doesn’t have much on it either.

-ARIZONA AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve).  Stanford is right on the bubble and could really make a strong case for themselves if they’re able to pick up a win in a game like this.  Arizona has slipped somewhat, but this would be a big road win for them and go a long way toward getting them back into protected seeded range.

-UTAH AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac Twelve).  Utah has struggled in true road games, but this is probably the most winnable road game remaining on their schedule so it’s important that they take care of business.