NEWS AND NOTES
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-Last night was crazy and exciting! There was so much going on at once that it was hard to keep up with.
-Oklahoma, who is young, but has also showed signs of improvement and promise for the future, definitely showed that in waves last night when they picked up a win at West Virginia. It was probably the biggest upset of the season so far. One has to admire how difficult it is to win a game like that, but in terms of them being such a young team you have to admire their mental toughness when you look at how they won. They had a chance to win the game in regulation, but a missed freethrow sent it to overtime. They fell behind in the overtime, but were still able to fight their way back into it and get the win despite all the momentum being against them. What a great moment for Oklahoma’s season, and perhaps a strong foundation for the future as this team continues to grow. As of now their top player is a senior, but all other key players are likely to return next year.
-Notre Dame at Florida State was another exciting game. It was the first conference loss for the Irish, and had they won it we’d probably be discussing them for the #2 line, but there is no damage or shame in losing it. If anything I’m still really impressed with how well they played.
-South Carolina got a much needed and stabilizing win at home against Florida in a low scoring affair. The Gamecocks weren’t in any real danger, but the win did help shore things up for them.
-Indiana got a win at Penn State that they needed, or perhaps to put it another way didn’t need to lose. It looked like the Hoosiers were running away from them, but Penn State came back and it took a last second shot for IU to pull off the road win. They’ve won three of their last four Big Ten games since losing their first two.
-VCU’s not very impressive profile coming into yesterday looks even less impressive now. They lost at Fordham in overtime, and I think that might be a game that really sinks them. There is almost nothing of quality on their profile, and the bad outweighs the good. On top of that, they really haven’t even looked that good for much of the season.
-TCU lost at Texas Tech, but I must admit to being very impressed with the Horned Frogs last night. It is not easy to win at Texas Tech, and TCU fell behind big early, but kept their poise and came back to make it a close game all throughout the second half that they had a chance to win. TCU’s fluff OOC schedule did them no favors as far as strengthening their paper, but they do appear to be good enough to get the wins they need to land inside the bubble. Last night certainly would have helped, but the loss certainly didn’t hurt either.
-Wake Forest blew out Miami FL. I’m not sure if that’s more good for Wake, or more bad for Miami. Perhaps it’s both.
-Nebraska lost at home on a virtual last second shot to Ohio State. Ohio State needed that win and they need a lot more like that. Nebraska, on the other hand, didn’t need that loss at all.
-Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech was another thrilling game between two teams that needed to build their profile. I was very impressed with the Yellow Jackets, and now must admit that our resident statistician Joby Fortson may have been on to something when talking about how good they were. They had a shot at the buzzer that would have tied the game against a VA Tech team that is very tough to beat at home. Georgia Tech has a solid profile and they’re a few big wins away from being inside the bubble. Furthermore, they’ve shown that they’re good enough to be capable of picking up those wins.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-MARYLAND AT IOWA (Big Ten). Maryland is out to a very impressive 16-2 record and faces an Iowa team that’s nowhere near the tournament picture, but that has been tough at home, so it’s likely that the Terps will be tested.
-UCONN AT SMU (American). SMU will safely land in the field so long as they continue to hold serve. That would of course mean beating a UConn team that’s had a really bad year so far.
-DAVIDSON AT LA SALLE (Atlantic Ten). La Salle is a LOONG way from the bubble, but believe it or not they are close to the top of the Atlantic Ten, and if they REALLY kick it into gear and finish strong the committee will likely take a serious look at them.
-RICHMOND AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten). Richmond struggled out of conference, but is a perfect 5-0 in the A10. This is definitely the toughest league game they’ve played all year, and it’s a game that Dayton really can’t afford to trip up in.
-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT FIU (Conference USA). It’s the same write up for middle for every game. They’re good enough to run the table, and if they do they’ll make the NCAAs regardless of what happens in the conference tournament.
-CLEMSON AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). I still like Clemson’s team and profile, but they’ve lost their last four games. All were close hard battles against good teams, but to be just 1-4 in league play and to not have picked up at least one decent win in that stretch is a bit of a setback. Tonight will be another very difficult game to win against a Louisville team that appears destined to end up as a protected seed.
-CALIFORNIA AT OREGON (Pac Twelve). Cal has an abundance of wins in home buy games, and although that’s not all they have, that is mostly what they have. If they can pick up this win it will completely change the complexion of their profile.
-ARIZONA AT USC (Pac Twelve). Arizona is having a fantastic year, but this will be one of their tougher road tests. It comes against a USC team that is good and is still relatively safe, but that also will likely have a sense of urgency coming into this game.
-MEMPHIS AT HOUSTON (American). Houston really needs to thunder down the stretch in order to land inside the bubble. They’re good, and they’re much improved, but as far as being NCAA Tournament good they’re running out of strikes.
-UNC ASHEVILLE AT WINTHROP (Big South). Neither team is inside the bubble, but both are tied for first place in the Big South and with the first place team getting to host the conference tournament this is a huge game.
-ARIZONA STATE AT UCLA (Pac Twelve). UCLA shouldn’t have too much trouble picking this one up and staying on pace to earn a #1 seed. They just don’t want to be looking ahead to this weekend.
-PACIFIC AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast). SMC is coming off the big loss to Gonzaga, but they still appear to be a first ballot team and will remain that way so long as they hold serve.
-GONZAGA AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast). Gonzaga is the last unbeaten team and they are certainly good enough to win out. If they do, the real selection committee will likely give them a #1 seed. I’m not so sure the Hoops HD committee will, but the real committee probably will.