NEWS AND NOTES
-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-We did have a great game last night as Colorado needed double overtime to beat a South Dakota State team that will in all likelihood need the auto bid to get in, but if they do get it they could end up being a dangerous game in the Round of 64.
-Finals Week is over!! We now have our normal gluttonous serving of college basketball that we’re used to seeing on a Saturday!
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-BYU AT UTAH (***Spotlight Game***). After a one year hiatus the rivalry is back. This may not be the biggest rivalry in terms of importance. It’s not even a conference game anymore, and the two teams aren’t constantly ranked in the top ten. But in terms of bitterness this rivalry is at a whole other level. It really is. And, it’s actually rather meaningful tonight in the sense that both teams currently look like fringe bubble teams. They may be able to play their way into a position where they’re solidly in the tournament, but then again maybe not. When you get two teams that are in that situation in a rivalry game, then you should be in for a great night. I’m glad the rivalry is back!!
-MIAMI FL AT GEORGE WASHINGTON. This is only Miami’s second true road game of the year, but they still have a pretty strong resume and are off to an 8-0 start.
-SETON HALL AT RUTGERS. This is a rivalry game, and Rutgers does appear to be making progress. They’re making it slowly, but they are making it. They’re not anywhere close to Seton Hall’s level, but they are at home and it’ll be interesting to see what they can do against them.
-BUTLER VS PURDUE (Crossroads Classic, Indianapolis). I keep saying that this is a rebuilding year for Butler, and they don’t appear to be as good as they’ve been recently, but they do come into this at a quiet 8-2 with some decent wins on their profile. If they get this one it would really be a statement win. Purdue’s only two losses on the year are the two they picked up in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
-LOUISVILLE VS MEMPHIS (Gotham Classic, MSG). This is an old Metro Conference, then Conference USA, and then very briefly an American rivalry. The bitterness is probably gone (at least most of it), but it’s still hugely important game on paper as both teams come in 7-2 in search of a quality win.
-UNC GREENSBORO AT NC STATE. It’s a buy game, but with UNCG looking like one of the better teams in the Big South SoCon we will go ahead and highlight it.
-MICHIGAN VS DETROIT (College Basketball Showcase, Detroit). The game is in Detroit, but the crowd will likely be partial to Michigan as they look to improve to 10-3 on the year.
-INDIANA STATE AT WESTERN KENTUCKY. Western Kentucky is coming off disappointing (and in the case of their last game controversial) losses and are looking to get things turned around. Their margin for error is small, and they pretty much need to blow through the rest of the season if they want the committee to look at them.
-SYRACUSE AT GEORGETOWN. Georgetown is unbeaten against the weakest schedule I’ve ever seen. Syracuse’s schedule hasn’t been tough, but it’s been infinitely more challenging that Georgetown’s. We should learn something about the Hoyas today as they take on their former Big East rivals.
-STEPHEN F AUSTIN AT LSU. SFA is 9-1 on the year and are good enough to win this game if LSU overlooks them.
-MICHIGAN STATE VS OAKLAND (College Basketball Showcase, Detroit). Prior to the season when we thought Oakland was a top UTR team this is one we had circled. The Grizz have been kind of disappointing, whereas Michigan State has put together an amazing profile and is deservedly ranked #2 in the nation.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT KENTUCKY. Both teams come in with just one loss, but neither really have a win anywhere close to as good as this one would likely turn out to be.
-DAVIDSON AT VIRGINIA. This isn’t a buy game, and Davidson could be a force in the Atlantic Ten, but it looks to be a huge mismatch and could end up looking like a buy game by the time it’s over.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT FLORIDA STATE. We weren’t expecting much at all out of Okie State, but they come into this one at 7-2 and we’ll have to start taking them seriously if they’re able to pick up a win today. Florida State comes in unbeaten and is one of the bigger surprises of the season, especially when you consider how they blew out Florida on the road.
-NORTHWESTERN AT DEPAUL. Northwestern started off sluggishly, but they appear to have turned it around and should continue to build momentum if they can knock off a DePaul team that’s looked sluggish for the last decade or so.
-LOUISIANA TECH AT TEXAS. LA Tech has had some close calls against big opponents, but hasn’t managed to get over the hump and pick up a quality win just yet. Texas comes in at 6-3 and is off to a very impressive start when you consider two of their losses were close games to Gonzaga and Duke.
-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT MILWAUKEE. I like this Loyola team and they can improve to 11-1 on the season if they pick up this win today. If they keep it up they won’t need the automatic bid to make the NCAA Tournament.
-INDIANA VS NOTRE DAME (Crossroads Classic, Indianapolis). Notre Dame looks like a potential protected seed and Indiana looks like a potential NIT team if they’re even able to play that well. It should be a mismatch in favor of the Irish.
-GEORGIA AT UMASS. There hasn’t been a whole lot of buzz around Georgia, but they do have wins against Saint Mary’s and at Marquette, and a win today will get them to 8-1 on the year with three true road wins on their profile.
-CINCINNATI AT UCLA. Both teams have good records, but both teams severely lack quality wins right now, and you get that there is a sense of urgency for both of them coming into this game.
-OKLAHOMA AT WICHITA STATE (Intrust Bank Arena). This game isn’t at the Round House, but it will still be a great atmosphere between a Wichita State team that’s good enough to gun for a #1 seed, and an Oklahoma team that I feel is a lot better than what many realize. It’s Oklahoma’s first road game as well as their biggest test of the year and would be a huge win on their resume if they’re somehow able to pull off the upset.
-VERMONT AT SAINT BONAVENTURE. Vermont has been somewhat disappointing in the sense that we thought they’d be a top forty team that could put together a top forty resume, but they’ve still been a solid team and are still potentially dangerous. The Bonnies have gone 7-1 since dropping their opener without their star player and are still a solid team that could land inside the bubble if they keep winning like they have been. Today’s game won’t top the headlines, but it is one of the more intriguing games of the day.
-CHARLESTON AT RHODE ISLAND. This is another really intriguing game that will probably fly under the sight line of most of the nation. Charleston had a really bad showing in Alaska, but other than that they have held serve and could still land on or near the bubble if they can thunder down the stretch and pick up a win in a game like this. Rhody has dealt with injuries, but has still at least held serve and EC Matthews should be back today, which is another reason to watch.
-FLORIDA VS CLEMSON (Orange Bowl Classic). This is a hugely important neutral floor game for a Florida team that’s trying to shake off a bad week from the other week, and a Clemson team that’s out to an 8-1 start and trying to add a huge quality win to their resume.
-NORTHERN IOWA VS IOWA STATE (Des Moines). Northern Iowa is having the kind of year that could not just land them in the NCAA Tournament, but land them in the top half of it. This is a chance to add yet another notable win to an already impressive resume.
-DREXEL AT TEMPLE (Sort of Big Five). Temple was clobbered by Villanova earlier in the week and is looking to rebound from that.
-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT AUBURN. Middle Tennessee is a UTR team, but this is a game between two teams that are trying to make the NCAA Tournament and could end up in the top forty. Both teams have just one loss and a few decent but not great wins. Whoever wins this will take a huge step in that direction.
-OREGON AT FRESNO STATE. We are still feeling these teams out. Are one or both of them good enough to end up inside the bubble? Today’s game is important because of how it will help answer that question.
-BUCKNELL AT VCU. We highlight this game only to mention that we are not highlighting this game. Both teams have been disappointing.
-KANSAS AT NEBRASKA. Kansas is coming off back to back losses, both of which were rather surprising. They face a Nebraska team that has shown moments of promise, but nothing more. They are unbeaten at home, though, and the place should be rocking for today’s game.
-ARIZONA AT NEW MEXICO. I was happy when I saw this series was coming back! My excitement level has dropped off some now that New Mexico is a pitiful 3-7 on the year.
-NEW MEXICO STATE VS ILLINOIS (United Center, Chicago). This will be a tough test for an Illinois team that appears to be improving, but still has a long way to go. New Mexico State is probably the best team in the WAC and the Illini better not overlook them.
-UNLV AT PACIFIC. UNLV has looked good this year, but their resume could still use some work and they’re still looking for their first true road win.
-SAINT LOUIS AT OREGON STATE. This game will likely have, at most, NIT implications, but there is still time and opportunity for one or both of them to get things turned around.
BUY GAMES
-East Tennessee State @ Xavier
-Wheeling Jesuit (nondiv1) @ West Virginia (exhibition that does NOT count towards WVU’s overall record)
-Appalachian State @ Ohio State – a HOT HOT HOT!! buy game
-IUPUI @ Washington State
-North Dakota @ Gonzaga
-Rice @ Texas Tech
-UT Martin @ Mississippi State
-Troy @ Arkansas
-New Orleans @ Louisiana – probably not an actual buy game, but whatever
-Southeast Missouri State @ Kansas State
-UC Irvine @ Saint Mary’s
-North Florida @ Missouri
-Texas Southern @ Wyoming
-North Texas @ San Diego