NEWS AND NOTES
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-Butler picked up another nice win at home last night as they knocked off Marquette. They led for most of the game, but Marquette was never out of the game and actually had a lead late in the second half. Providence also picked up a nice road win against DePaul to keep their sudden momentum going.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT RHODE ISLAND (Atlantic Ten). Prior to conference play beginning this is the match-up we were all looking forward to, but with the Bonnies dropping two of their first four, it’s looking like Rhody is the only team with a solid chance of landing inside the bubble. If the Bonnies want any chance at all, they pretty much need to win this game and win all the rest of them after this.
-MICHIGAN AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Michigan State needed overtime to get past Rutgers in their last game. Michigan isn’t anywhere near them in the rankings, but they’re coming off just a one point loss to Purdue and had won seven in a row before that, so don’t be surprised if the Wolverines are able to pull the upset and add a huge quality win to their resume.
-PURDUE AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Purdue is looking like a potential #2 or even #1 seed, whereas Minney is looking like a team that will have trouble even qualifying for the NIT. It’s a chance for the Boilers to improve to 6-0 in league play and add another road win to their resume.
-WAKE FOREST AT DUKE (ACC). Duke appears to be heading toward a protected seed and shouldn’t have too much trouble at home in this one.
-KANSAS STATE AT KANSAS (Big Twelve). If K State is going to make the field, then they’ll need to pull off bigger wins than what they’ve managed so far. Kansas hasn’t been playing quite as well as what we’re used to seeing, but they’re still looking solid and they should be up for this one.
-GEORGETOWN AT SETON HALL (Big East). Hall is looking to rebound from the pasting they got from Marquette earlier in the week. It shouldn’t be that hard against a Hoyas team that has yet to beat anyone with a pulse.
-TCU AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12). Another Big 12 game between two top twenty teams who are in contention for a protected seed. That’s been happening a lot this year, and will continue to happen.
-FLORIDA AT OLE MISS (SEC). This is a winnable road game for a Florida team that’s been inconsistent, but when they’ve been good they’ve been REALLY good.
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT GEORGIA (SEC). Georgia has a pretty good resume and you get the sense that they’re good enough to improve it as the year goes on. They should be able to hold serve in this one.
-UCONN AT TULANE (American). Neither team is all that close to the bubble right now, but Tulane has shown some promise. They probably won’t get in this year, but they are a team that’s improving and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they picked up this win against a UConn team that’s heading in the other direction.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Just another Big 12 match-up between two top ten teams that are in contention for protected seeds. Or, for that matter, #1 seeds. West Virginia is ranked #2, but this would easily be their biggest win of the year up to this point considering it’s on the road against a top ten team. For Texas Tech, who isn’t used to being ranked in the top ten, this is a fantastic showcase game in front of a crowd that should be all kinds of jacked.
-CREIGHTON AT XAVIER (Big East). Both teams are ranked and Creighton has won their last three. They actually have just one loss in league play so far. Xavier has lost their last two and is coming off a game where they were blasted against Villanova. Beating a ranked team at home should help get them back on track, but that’s a lot easier said than done.
-OREGON AT ARIZONA (Pac 12). Oregon picked up a huge game at Arizona State the other night, and although they still have a very long way to go, another win tonight would certainly go a long way. Arizona has struggled some in their last few games, but they keep winning.
-SYRACUSE AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC). Florida State is coming off a somewhat surprising home loss to a Louisville team that’s been struggling, but they’re still in good shape and are still expected to land in the top half of the bracket. Syracuse needs some signature wins (especially away from home) to beef up their resume some.
-MIAMI FL AT CLEMSON (ACC). Both teams are in the rankings and both appear to be cruising to the dance. This is a chance for both of them to pick up a quality win. Clemson is coming off a close and somewhat heartbreaking loss at NC State and picking up this win at home should give them their energy and momentum back.
-BAYLOR AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). As of now, both teams appear to be on the outside looking in, but both will have the opportunities to get the wins they need. The question is are either of them good enough to keep up with the rest of the conference. You get the sense that this is a big game because, as good as both of them can be, this is still one of the more winnable league games that either of them will play.
-AUBURN AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Auburn is in the rankings with a ton of momentum. The fans are really getting behind this team in a way we haven’t seen in at least fifteen years. They’re on the road against a Mississippi State team who has a bloated record, but is a little light when it comes to big wins and who will be looking to pick one up today.
-KENTUCKY AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Kentucky is coming off a loss to Tennessee and a 1-point win at home against a slumping Texas A&M, but I still think they’ve been playing well and should be able to pick this one up on the road.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Louisville just picked up their first big win of the year earlier this week, which was a huge step in the right direction, but they still have a lot of work to do and can’t afford to lose at home to a Virginia Tech team that’s been struggling.
-BRADLEY AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley). Loyola’s at-large hopes are still barely flickering, but they need to blow through the rest of league play.
-COLORADO STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West, Front Range). Wyoming is a solid team, but probably not an NCAA Tournament team. We’re just highlighting this game because we love the Front Range!!!
-TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12). Texas is coming off a big home win against TCU and has an opportunity at one of the more winnable road games they’ll have in conference play.
-OREGON STATE AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac Twelve). Arizona State has lost three of their last four and needs to get it done against a struggling Oregon State team today.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT NOTRE DAME (ACC). Both teams come into this game at 13-4, but the Irish are going through a more tumultuous time and could really use a win like this to help their resume. It won’t come easy, though. The Tarheels haven’t been the best road team, but they’re still pretty solid.
-TEXAS A&M AT TENNESSEE (SEC). TAMU has lost four straight, the last one rather dramatically, and you just keep waiting for them to get back to full strength and snap out of it. Tennessee is coming off a feel good win against Kentucky and has quite a bit of momentum going there way.
-MISSOURI AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Missouri has been playing well, but still has work to do. Arkansas had been playing well, but has lost three of their last four, including a pasting against LSU in their last game, and is looking to rebound.
-SOUTHERN MISS AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (Conference USA). Middle Tennessee needs to keep blowing through league play if they want the committee to look at them come March.
-CINCINNATI AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American). This is a very winnable conference road game for the Bearcats who continue to climb the rankings.
-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT CHARLOTTE (Conference USA). Western Kentucky is still unbeaten in league play and just picked up a really nice win against Old Dominion. With the OOC win against Purdue they will likely get the attention of the committee if they continue to blow through the conference.
-WICHITA STATE AT TULSA (American). The Shockers shouldn’t have too much trouble at all picking up this win on the road.
-VILLANOVA AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). The Johnnies looked good coming into Big East play, but have started off 0-5 and can’t seem to overcome being shorthanded. Nova has just one loss on the year and they should be able to roll in this one.
-SAINT MARY’S AT PEPPERDINE (West Coast). A win for Saint Mary’s get them to 17-2 on the year.
-STANFORD AT WASHINGTON (Pac 12). Stanford has caught a little bit of fire lately, but that could die down today. We haven’t talked much about the Huskies, but they are 13-4 on the year with a win against Kansas. If they can hold serve they should be fine.
-UTAH STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West). The Wolfpack continue to roll and should cruise into the bracket if they keep it up.
-ALABAMA AT LSU (SEC). Both of these teams appear to be hovering around the bubble, which makes this a really big game.
-GONZAGA AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast). The Zags have been blowing through their schedule and I expect it to continue tonight.
-BYU AT SANT CLARA (West Coast). BYU’s tournament chances are slim, but not non-existent. They need to hold serve in games like this and pick up a couple of wins against either Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). This is a big game between two of the three teams in the MWC that have a shot at a tournament bid. The reason it’s so big is because their opportunities are limited the rest of the way.
-COLORADO AT UCLA (Pac Twelve). Colorado has been a home court hero, but if they want to make the dance they need to win some games of note on the road. UCLA, on the other hand, needs to hold serve at home against a team that has struggled on the road.