NEWS AND NOTES
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-Virginia won their second straight game, and it was a big one at home against North Carolina, which dings UNC’s chances at a #1 seed, but doesn’t completely end them. Virginia is now officially out of their tailspin and is back on pace to end up as a protected seed. Along with seemingly half the teams in the ACC.
-Baylor knocked off West Virginia at home, which isn’t a surprise. West Virginia seems to be slipping out of the protected seed range. The loss wasn’t bad, but when you look at their good wins and their resume compared to the other teams up on the #4 line or better it just doesn’t quite match up. They’ll need a strong finish.
-Miami FL had been on a roll, but they fell at Virginia Tech yesterday, who is now close to being a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-MARYLAND AT RUTGERS (Big Ten). Maryland is in good shape and shouldn’t have too much trouble adding another road win to their resume.
-GEORGETOWN AT SETON HALL (Big East). Seton Hall is right on the bubble, every game the rest of the way will have a pivotal feel to it. They do not want to lose at home to a non-tournament team and fall below .500 in Big East play.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). South Carolina has been in a bit of a tailspin, but they ended a three game losing streak by beating Tennessee in their last game. They’re at home against a non-tournament team and need to hold serve.
-INDIANA AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Indiana is coming off an exciting and emotional home win against Northwestern, but they have a very long way to go in order to land back inside the bubble. They’ll probably need to win their next four games to even have a chance. A week ago Purdue was looking like they were going to get a protected seed, and although they still can they’ll need a very strong finish in order to do it.
-FLORIDA STATE AT DUKE (ACC). Florida State has a good resume, but adding a road win like this to it would make it look even better. Duke is coming off two straight losses, but is still in reasonably good shape for a protected seed, especially if they’re able to take care of business in this game.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Creighton has struggled in the latter part of the season, and cannot afford to drop a game to a Saint John’s team that’s been better than expected, but still nowhere close to the NIT.
-DEPAUL AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Providence has a very good chance at landing on the right side of the bubble, but if they fail to hold serve in games like this they’ll be in trouble.
-VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Vandy has won seven of their last nine, and has some pretty big wins in that stretch. Their last two games are against Florida and Kentucky, and if they can win just one of them I think they’re in great shape. If they win both of them I think they’re pretty much locked into the field. It’s easier said than done, though. Kentucky will lock themselves into a protected seed if they hold serve the rest of the way.
-PITTSBURGH AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). Chances are Georgia Tech won’t make it into the field, but they still have a chance if they can pick up some surprising wins down the stretch.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT IOWA STATE (Big Twelve). Iowa State is actually in second place in the Big Twelve right now, and will finish ahead of Baylor if they can win their last two games. They’re at home tonight against an Oklahoma State who is in the middle of the pack, but that has also won 9 of their last 10 Big Twelve games. These are two of the hottest teams in the country, and are among the hottest teams in the nation right now.