NEWS AND NOTES
-For the UTR Game of the Day between Toledo and UC Irvine, which is a good one –CLICK HERE
-Duke continues to impress, although Auburn was able to come back from large deficits and keep themselves in the game on more than one occasion. The final score was a six point margin, and I think that accurately reflects how good both these teams are. Arizona stayed with Gonzaga for a while, but only for a while. That gives us the championship match-up out in Maui that most of us were hoping for!
-Lipscomb loves Dallas! and Fort Worth! They picked up a really impressive road win at TCU last night after winning at SMU in their previous game. A fantastic start to the season for Lipscomb with their only loss being to rival Belmont.
-Saint John’s picked up a nice win against VCU in overtime to improve to 5-0. It hasn’t always been decisive, but the Johnnies have won all five of their games.
-Texas Tech is good again. No one talked about them in the preseason. You need to talk about them now. They blasted a pretty good Nebraska team. They are unbeaten. They have beaten some good teams in games where they really did not struggle. They are good again!!
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-SAINT LOUIS VS PITTSBURGH (Barclays Center Classic). We weren’t expecting much out of Pitt, but they do come into this game without a loss and if they can somehow pick up this win today then maybe they can have some momentum going their way for the first time in years.
-OKLAHOMA VS FLORIDA (Battle 4 Atlantis). Neither team has managed a quality win yet, and this tournament is a chance for both of them to start building up their resume.
-SOUTHERN MISS VS WESTERN CAROLINA (Cancun Challenge). Southern Miss can improve to 4-1 and add another win away from home to their resume.
-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Gulf Coast Showcase). Both teams come into this with decent records, but South Dakota State has already lost two games that are really going to hurt their resume at the end of the year. It’s important that they basically win out if they want to be in the discussion for an at-large bid.
-STANFORD VS WISCONSIN (Battle 4 Atlantis). Wisky already has a nice win at Xavier on their resume, and can pick up a few more in this event.
-SAN DIEGO STATE VS IOWA STATE (Maui Invitational). San Diego State is coming off a close win against Xavier and is looking to add another notable win to their profile. Iowa State didn’t have any trouble with Illinois yesterday and has another chance to add a nice win to their resume today.
-DUKE VS GONZAGA (Maui Invitational). We have a neutral floor match-up in a small intimate atmosphere between two top three teams, and two potential #1 seeds. This would essentially be a #1 seed caliber win for whoever pulls it off. Gonzaga has struggled a little bit more than Duke, but still looks very strong.
-LOUISVILLE VS TENNESSEE (NIT Season Tip-Off). Both teams come in with a 3-0 record, but Tennessee is ranked in the top 5 and is expected to be the better team. This is a chance for Louisville to make a huge statement, though.
-LOUISIANA VS TULANE (Gulf Coast Showcase). Fun interstate match-up between a Louisiana team that should do well in the Sun Belt, and a Tulane team that is improving as a program.
-GEORGIA STATE VS GEORGIA (Cayman Islands Classic). A fun interstate match-up between a Georgia State team that we feel will be tops in the Sun Belt, and a Georgia team that may not be expected to do well in the SEC, but would still be a feel-good win for GA State if they’re able to pull it off.
WASHINGTON VS MINNESOTA (Vancouver Showcase). Both teams are off to good starts, and both have the chance to add a really good (we think) early season win to their resumes.
-MARQUETTE VS KANSAS (NIT Season Tip-Off). We were expecting big wins out of Marquette this year, and although they come in 3-1 they got blasted in their only real test of the season. Kansas already has a big win against Michigan State under their belts and can add to that by picking up more big wins away from home in this event.
-DAYTON VS BUTLER (Battle 4 Atlantis). Dayton comes in with three buy game wins, and Butler comes in with two buy game wins and a win against Ole Miss, so this is the first real test for either team this season.
-CREIGHTON VS CLEMSON (Cayman Islands Classic). Clemson comes in without a loss and has looked strong every time they’ve taken the floor. Creighton has played pretty well this season as well, and can really pick up an early statement win today if they’re somehow able to pull it off.
-TOLEDO VS UC IRVINE (Gulf Coast Showcase). UC Irvine looks to remain unbeaten and add another nice neutral floor win to their resume against a one-loss Toledo team.
-LOYOLA CHICAGO VS BOSTON COLLEGE (Fort Meyers Tip-Off). Both teams come into this game with just one loss. Loyola has won three straight since their loss to Furman and is looking to keep that going.
-SAINT MARY’S VS MISSISSIPPI STATE (MGM Resorts Main Event). Saint Mary’s is always criticized for their lack of quality wins. They have a chance to pick up a really good one on a neutral floor today. Mississippi State is also looking for what would probably be their biggest win of the season so far.
-PENN STATE VS SMU (Cancun Challenge). This game has a pivotal feel to it because you get the sense that the loser is really in trouble.
-XAVIER VS ILLINOIS (Maui Invitational). This game has a pivotal feel to it because you get the sense that the loser is really in trouble.
-MIDDLE TENNESSEE VS VIRGINIA (Battle 4 Atlantis). Middle Tennessee is coming off a fantastic three year run, but they lost a lot of key players and aren’t quite the same. Still, they’re off to a 4-1 start and have the opportunities to catapult themselves into national relevance if they can play well in this event. Today won’t be easy. Virginia is ranked 4th and while they haven’t been tested yet, they are almost certainly capable of passing the tests they’ll face down in Atlantis.
-HARVARD VS SAN FRANCISCO. Harvard has had a few bright points and should be a factor in Ivy League this year. San Francisco is looking to improve to 5-0.
-ARIZONA STATE AT UTAH STATE (MGM Resorts Main Event). Both teams are unbeaten, both teams have won some notable games, and in the case of Utah State, they have looked very good at times this year. It’s a late tip, but definitely worth staying up and watching.
-AUBURN VS ARIZONA (Maui Invitational). Also a late tip. Also worth staying up and watching. Auburn will likely end up as a protected seed, and we’re still trying to figure Arizona out. If they can somehow manage to win this game, then we will have them figured out.
BUY GAMES
-Winthrop @ Kentucky
-South Wesleyan (nondiv1) @ Furman
-Dartmouth @ Buffalo
-Coppin State @ Wofford
-Colgate @ Syracuse
-Florida A&M @ South Florida
-Montana State @ Arkansas
-Alabama State @ Iowa
-Rice @ BYU
-Central Connecticut @ LMU