News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Feb 25th

-For our latest Under the Radar Video Podcast, featuring a live phone call to the NCAA regarding the #LopesWaiver movement, CLICK HERE.

-For Chad’s Under the Radar Game of the Day between North Florida and Jacksonville, CLICK HERE.

NEWS AND NOTES

-Xavier knocked off Villanova yesterday in a battle of top five teams.  The loss will do very little, if anything, to hurt Villanova.  They can still end up on the #1 line, and they likely will if they hold on to finish first in the Big East.  The two could also meet again in the Big East Tournament in just a few weeks.  It’s a huge win for Xavier even though they were the home team because Nova has been so strong on the road this year.  It’s possible that we’ll see both of them up on the #1 line.

-Wisconsin picked up another huge road win at Iowa.  It’s the second team that’s likely a protected seed that the Badgers have managed to beat on the road.  Their profile is looking really good this year, and if they keep going like they’re going they could end up with a very healthy seed.

-Colorado got a big win over Arizona that they desperately needed.  This should help stabilize them after it appeared they were going in the wrong direction.  As for Arizona, it would have been a nice road win, but the loss isn’t much of a setback.  I still like their chances of ending up as a protected seed.

-VCU fell to George Mason.  VCU was very close to the bubble, and this will likely knock them outside of it.  They now have two bad losses on their resume, and although they have a lot of decent wins, they don’t have any really good ones.  They haven’t really beaten anyone that’s solidly in the field, so they’ll really need a strong finish if they want to feel safe on Selection Sunday.

-Oregon State’s NCAA Tournament hopes are still flickering after they hit a dramatic three point shot at the buzzer to knock off Washington.  Washington, like Oregon State, is right on the bubble and could have really used a notable road win like this.  If Washington does end up missing the field then this is the kind of game that could have made a difference.

-We will be recording another Bracket Rundown show tonight, so keep an eye on the website this evening and tomorrow morning.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-FLORIDA STATE AT DUKE (ACC).  Florida State is in a complete free-fall, and even though we’d normally say losing at Duke isn’t damaging, this is the kind of win that it will take to get FSU out of that free-fall.  Duke is looking more and more like a protected seed despite coming off a loss at Louisville.

-INDIANA AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  This is another winnable conference road game for the Hoosiers, and the more of those they have, the better their profile will look.

-PROVIDENCE AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Providence is safely in the field, but they’re not looking like a protected seed the way they were about a month ago, and they’re all over the place in terms of how good their wins are and how questionable their losses are.  Most have Seton Hall on the bubble, but I personally like them more than that.  They’re 9-5 in Big East play and have a chance to improve on that tonight, plus they’ve won five of their last six games.

-CONNECTICUT AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American).  The rivalry continues!!!!  There are games that are good to win and there are games that are horrible to lose.  For UConn, this is the later.

-UT ARLINGTON AT LITTLE ROCK (Sun Belt).  Little Rock will get a serious look for an at-large bid if they win out, but even that may not be good enough, and if they drop a game before the conference tournament, and go on to lose an additional game in the conference tournament, it may be too much to overcome.  They’ve had a great year and I’d hate to see them blow it at the end.

-UCLA AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve).  Cal’s profile has drastically improved since they picked up a few road wins and they should be okay for a bid so long as they hold serve and win the games they’re supposed to win, which includes this one.

-ARIZONA STATE AT UTAH (Pac Twelve).  Utah is playing extremely well lately.  The way they’re going they could end up as a protected seed.  To do that, they’ll need to win the big games, but also hold serve in games like this.

-GONZAGA AT SAN DIEGO (West Coast).  Gonzaga is on the fringe of the bubble and needs to win out just to be able to get a serious look from the committee.  A loss in a game like this could absolutely crush their chances.

-SANTA CLARA AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  Saint Mary’s is also right on the fringe of the bubble, and probably also needs to win out in order to get a serious look from the committee.

-USC AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve).  USC has a solid profile, but one of the areas where it is kind of weak is in road wins.  This is a winnable road game that will help them out even though Stanford isn’t a tournament team.

-UC RIVERSIDE AT HAWAII (Big West).  I really like this Hawaii team, and I think they should get a serious look from both the Hoops HD Committee and the real selection committee for consideration if they fail to win the Big West Tournament.  However, they need to win out first.

SURVIVAL BOARD GAMES

-AUSTIN PEAY AT SIU-EDWARDSVILLE (Ohio Valley). Austin Peay comes in the game seeded 9th in the Ohio Valley; they need a win tonight and some help from Jacksonville State tonight to move up to the 8th seed for the upcoming OVC Tournament. A loss by Peay and a win by Eastern Kentucky would eliminate the Governors tonight.

-EASTERN KENTUCKY AT JACKSONVILLE STATE (Ohio Valley). EKU currently is in 8th place in the OVC; an EKU win would also eliminate Jax State tonight.

-LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE AT TROY (Sun Belt). A loss by the Trojans puts them on the brink of elimination from any postseason hopes in the Sun Belt.

-IPFW AT WESTERN ILLINOIS (Summit). A win for Fort Wayne clinches a share of the Summit League title; a loss (or a South Dakota win against IUPUI tonight) eliminates the Leathernecks from advancing into the Summit League tournament.