Below is a rundown of tonight’s action, as well as a look back at last night.
NEWS AND NOTES
-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day between South Dakota State and Omaha – CLICK HERE
-Xavier fell behind 19-4 for the start of their game against Creighton, and proceeded to go just 1-for-20 from beyond the arc in what turned out to be a decisive loss to a team that isn’t likely to finish anywhere near the field. Chances are this will knock them off the #1 line, unless they’re able to win out and win the Big East Tournament.
-Miami got a big home win against a Pittsburgh team in a game that came down to the wire. Miami continues to look like they’ll end up as a protected seed.
-West Virginia made a few runs at Kansas last night, but for the most part the Jayhawks kept them at arms length and ended up picking up the win at home. Both teams were in the top ten, so I don’t think it really moves either team since Kansas was at home and more highly ranked.
-Dayton needed to overcome a double digit deficit at home against Duquesne in the final five minutes to pull out a close 76-74 win. They are very safely in the field, but a loss like that at home can knock a team off the #4 line.
-Last, but definitely not least, Purdue and Michigan State played an overtime thriller with Purdue holding on to pick up one of their most notable wins of the year. A road win like this for the Spartans would have been huge because the only thing that’s really missing from their profile is a big time road win against highly ranked team.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-BUTLER AT SETON HALL (Big East). This game has an extremely pivotal feel for a Butler team that’s right on the bubble, and still below 500 in the Big East. Seton Hall’s profile appears to be healthier at the moment, but there is room for them to improve as well.
-LSU AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). LSU continues to improve, and we now think they have played their way onto the bubble. A win in this game would give their profile a huge boost, which is something they still need since they’re still playing catch up after a rough start to the season. South Carolina scored a huge win over the weekend, so they come into this game with a lot of momentum.
-TEXAS A&M AT ALABAMA (SEC). TAMU has hit a bit of a skid having lost three of their last four. Tonight is a chance to pick up a conference road win and snap out of it.
-NEBRASKA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Wiscy has really been playing well. I think they’ve played their way onto the bubble for now, and will likely play their way into the field if they keep it up. They have a winnable conference game tonight at home against a Nebraska team that is a respectable 6-6 in league play, but it’s still a game Wiscy should win.
-PROVIDENCE AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Providence has been very schizophrenic this year, which is pretty much how they were last year as well. This is a winnable road game for them, but no matter what the strength of the opponent is, one is never certain what Providence is going to do.
-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic Ten). This is a HUGELY important match up between two bubble teams. As far as the overall importance of actually making the NCAA Tournament, this is probably one of the most important games of the day.
-BAYLOR AT KANSAS STATE (Big Twelve). This is another hugely important game. Baylor is trying to play their way up to a protected seed, and these are the kinds of road wins that can help get them there. K State is trying to play their way into the field, and even though they have a lot of losses, none of them are all that bad. If they can hold serve at home and pick up a few road wins between now and the end they could actually sneak into the field.
-IOWA STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big Twelve). Iowa State is another Big Twelve team that’s looking to end up as a protected seed. This is one of their more winnable road games, so they need to take advantage of it.
-MICHIGAN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Michigan is solidly in the field, but they don’t have a lot of big wins on their profile, so they would be advised to avoid bad losses to teams like Minnesota.
-WASHINGTON AT UTAH (Pac Twelve). this is a huge important game for Washington because they are right on the bubble and they could use a big time road win like this. Utah is safely in the field and if they finish strong they should end up with a good seed.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West). This won’t be the easiest road game for the Aztecs to win. If they win out, I think they should be safe come Selection Sunday, though.
News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 10th
Below is a rundown of tonight’s action, as well as a look back at last night.
NEWS AND NOTES
-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day between South Dakota State and Omaha – CLICK HERE
-Xavier fell behind 19-4 for the start of their game against Creighton, and proceeded to go just 1-for-20 from beyond the arc in what turned out to be a decisive loss to a team that isn’t likely to finish anywhere near the field. Chances are this will knock them off the #1 line, unless they’re able to win out and win the Big East Tournament.
-Miami got a big home win against a Pittsburgh team in a game that came down to the wire. Miami continues to look like they’ll end up as a protected seed.
-West Virginia made a few runs at Kansas last night, but for the most part the Jayhawks kept them at arms length and ended up picking up the win at home. Both teams were in the top ten, so I don’t think it really moves either team since Kansas was at home and more highly ranked.
-Dayton needed to overcome a double digit deficit at home against Duquesne in the final five minutes to pull out a close 76-74 win. They are very safely in the field, but a loss like that at home can knock a team off the #4 line.
-Last, but definitely not least, Purdue and Michigan State played an overtime thriller with Purdue holding on to pick up one of their most notable wins of the year. A road win like this for the Spartans would have been huge because the only thing that’s really missing from their profile is a big time road win against highly ranked team.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-BUTLER AT SETON HALL (Big East). This game has an extremely pivotal feel for a Butler team that’s right on the bubble, and still below 500 in the Big East. Seton Hall’s profile appears to be healthier at the moment, but there is room for them to improve as well.
-LSU AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). LSU continues to improve, and we now think they have played their way onto the bubble. A win in this game would give their profile a huge boost, which is something they still need since they’re still playing catch up after a rough start to the season. South Carolina scored a huge win over the weekend, so they come into this game with a lot of momentum.
-TEXAS A&M AT ALABAMA (SEC). TAMU has hit a bit of a skid having lost three of their last four. Tonight is a chance to pick up a conference road win and snap out of it.
-NEBRASKA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Wiscy has really been playing well. I think they’ve played their way onto the bubble for now, and will likely play their way into the field if they keep it up. They have a winnable conference game tonight at home against a Nebraska team that is a respectable 6-6 in league play, but it’s still a game Wiscy should win.
-PROVIDENCE AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Providence has been very schizophrenic this year, which is pretty much how they were last year as well. This is a winnable road game for them, but no matter what the strength of the opponent is, one is never certain what Providence is going to do.
-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic Ten). This is a HUGELY important match up between two bubble teams. As far as the overall importance of actually making the NCAA Tournament, this is probably one of the most important games of the day.
-BAYLOR AT KANSAS STATE (Big Twelve). This is another hugely important game. Baylor is trying to play their way up to a protected seed, and these are the kinds of road wins that can help get them there. K State is trying to play their way into the field, and even though they have a lot of losses, none of them are all that bad. If they can hold serve at home and pick up a few road wins between now and the end they could actually sneak into the field.
-IOWA STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big Twelve). Iowa State is another Big Twelve team that’s looking to end up as a protected seed. This is one of their more winnable road games, so they need to take advantage of it.
-MICHIGAN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Michigan is solidly in the field, but they don’t have a lot of big wins on their profile, so they would be advised to avoid bad losses to teams like Minnesota.
-WASHINGTON AT UTAH (Pac Twelve). this is a huge important game for Washington because they are right on the bubble and they could use a big time road win like this. Utah is safely in the field and if they finish strong they should end up with a good seed.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West). This won’t be the easiest road game for the Aztecs to win. If they win out, I think they should be safe come Selection Sunday, though.