News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Jan 12th

NEWS AND NOTES

-For our latest Under the Radar Video Podcast, which you should absolutely watch because it is just that amazing – CLICK HERE

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day between Grand Canyon and a New Mexico State team who has a shot at entering the NCAA Tournament with just two losses – CLICK HERE

-Last night gave us yet another match-up between two top fifteen teams!  It was the fourth in just 24 hours!  And, like the other three, it was a complete dud.  Butler actually went on a run in the final ninety seconds to make it look far less like a blowout than what it actually was, but in actuality, Creighton absolutely blew them out.  Another impressive home win for the Blue Jays and another case where Butler struggled in a true road game.

-Michigan State finally looked like the team we were expecting to see since November, and for that matter, so did Minnesota.  A really nice win for the Spartans that probably means as much to their mental health as it does their resume.

-Dayton is a team that went into last night in pretty good shape just so long as they didn’t stub their toes.  Last night, they really stubbed their toes.  They lost to UMass in a game where they trailed most of the way and really didn’t show any urgency or fire.  The A10 may get their first place team inside the bubble if that team is Dayton or VCU, but everyone else will likely need the auto-bid.

-Seton Hall lost an overtime thriller at Marquette, but is still in relatively good shape.  It was a nice win for a Marquette team that desperately needed one.

-TCU won at Texas.  So, they passed the litmus test of being able to win a road game that an NCAA Tournament caliber team is expected to win.  I’m still not as big on them as the rest of the Hoops HD staff, but I am sitting up and taking a little bit more notice.

-A nice win for Iowa State last night at Oklahoma State.  Oklahoma State is now 0-4 in Big Twelve play.  This has to be a shock to the system of Brad Underwood, who came from Stephen F Austin and isn’t really used to this whole idea of not winning conference games.

-Michigan, you can go home now.  We’ll call you again at the start of next season.

-NC State, you can go home now.  We’ll call you again at the start of next season.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-OHIO STATE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Wisconsin is flirting with a protected seed and Ohio State is flirting with the NIT.  Wisky should get this one at home.  If Ohio State wants to get their season and profile turned around, it will take a win in a game like this to do it.

-CLEMSON AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC).  Clemson is coming off of two straight frustrating losses and could use a win on the road to help stabilize things.

-NOTRE DAME AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Miami is at home so you can never completely write them off, but so far this season Notre Dame has looked really good and Miami has been rather disappointing.  This is a winnable conference road game for the Irish.

-WILLIAM & MARY AT UNC WILMINGTON (Colonial).  If UNCW runs the table in the regular season, which they are definitely good enough to do, I think they’re in the NCAAs with or without the automatic bid.

-MARSHALL AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (Conference USA).  Marshall is one of the better teams in CUSA, but they’re not as strong as Middle, and they are the road team in this one.  Middle Tennessee has a clear run to an NCAA Tournament bid if they run the table in the regular season.

-PURDUE AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Purdue is flirting with a protected seed and this is a winnable conference road game for them.

-NORTHWESTERN AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  Northwestern’s profile is rather healthy and it’s important that they hold serve and take care of business in what is a winnable conference road game.

-WASHINGTON AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve).  Cal has a lot of ground to make up just to get themselves into the bubble discussion.  They certainly can’t afford to lose a game like this.

-USC AT UTAH (Pac Twelve).  Utah has a pretty good record and although they’re not looking like a solid tournament team yet, they are certainly in a position to play their way in with a strong showing in conference.  It will be interesting to see what they do against a pretty good USC team tonight.

-ARIZONA STATE AT ARIZONA (Pac Twelve).  Arizona is looking more and more like a great team and shouldn’t have too much trouble against their cross-state rivals.

-LMU AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  the Zags are the class of the league and have a legitimate chance of entering the NCAA Tournament without a loss.

-SMU AT CINCINNATI (American).  If we were to pick a featured game of the day I suppose this would be it.  It’s two good teams who are looking to build their resumes, but have limited opportunities outside of when they play each other.

-UCLA AT COLORADO (Pac Twelve).  UCLA has been one of the biggest surprises of the seasons, and Colorado has been one of the biggest disappointments so far.  I think UCLA can end up on the #1 line and expect them to take care of business tonight.

-SAINT MARY’S AT PORTLAND (West Coast).  Saint Mary’s, like Gonzaga, should run away from the rest of the league and end up with a very healthy overall profile.