NEWS AND NOTES
-Virginia = VERY GOOD! They blew out Florida State yesterday, and the only reason the final score looked even moderately respectable is because of a late game run FSU made once all the starters were out of the game.
-Kansas was blown out on the road at Iowa State. I know it’s really tough to win there, but that’s usually because Iowa State themselves is pretty good. I didn’t think they’d be quite as good this year, but all indications seem to be that they are.
-Nevada was another top ten team that was blown to pieces on the road last night. This one was particularly surprising because New Mexico had looked totally pitiful all year long, but they suddenly seem to have kicked things into gear now. If they can keep playing at that level they’ll make quite a bit of noise in MWC play.
-Michigan State got a huge road win at Ohio State. Their resume was already pretty good, but this is probably now the best win on it considering it was on the road against a ranked team.
-Kentucky went down at Alabama. The Wildcats didn’t shoot the ball well, but still nearly played their way back into it in the final seconds, but the Crimson Tide held on. It was a big win on paper, but a win like this also does a lot to get that fanbase excited about basketball, so it should be a fun ride for them the rest of the way.
-UCF got a nice road win at UConn. They’re now 12-2 overall on the season and should be able to play their way safely inside the bubble if they keep it up.
-Cincinnati did something yesterday that was not nice at all. They lost on the road to East Carolina. The best thing I can say about ECU is that they haven’t looked totally terrible, but it’s still the kind of game that a team like Cincinnati should be expected to win. This will look bad on their resume, and they can’t afford too many more losses to sub-NIT teams if they want to feel safe come March.
-Saint John’s picked up another thrilling overtime win as they knocked off Georgetown on the road. The more they play well in conference, the more I believe in them. They should be in the rankings when they come out tomorrow.
-Florida, who needed to string together some wins just to get into the safe zone, lost at home to South Carolina. Florida really could have done without that.
-A few UTR shoutouts, Stony Brook now has eight true road wins. I believe that’s more than anyone in the nation. Georgia State picked up a really nice road win at Texas State, who was 12-2 on the year, and Princeton knocked off their rival Penn in overtime in the Ivy League opener.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-XAVIER AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Marquette looks to be one of the best, if not the best, teams in the Big East and may be good enough to ten up with a protected seed. They need to take care of business in games like this at home to help make it happen. They’re coming off a rather decisive road loss to Saint John’s and are still looking for their first conference win.
-SETON HALL AT DEPAUL (Big East). I like what Seton Hall has been able to do this year and don’t think they’ll have too much trouble picking up another road win and staying perfect in Big East play.
-RHODE ISLAND AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten). SLU is one of just a few A10 teams that has shown signs of life this season. They’ll need to blow through league play in order to end up on the right side of the bubble.
-TEMPLE AT WICHITA STATE (American). Temple can play their way into the field, but they don’t have the biggest margin for error in the world. This is the kind of road game that they need to be able to win.
-INDIANA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Both teams are in the rankings, and Michigan is unbeaten and looking like a #1 seed right now. If the Hoosiers are able to pull this off it’d be a season defining win for them.
-NEBRASKA AT IOWA (Big Ten). Both teams have played well at times, but both still have room to improve. This is the kind of win that would really look good on either team’s resume.
-MEMPHIS AT HOUSTON (American). Houston is unbeaten and continues to look impressive, especially at home. They have a few tougher tests ahead, but they should be able to hold serve in this one today.
-MIAMI FL AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). It’s the conference opener for Louisville, who should be okay for a bid as long as they hold serve for the rest of the way, which means being able to win at home in games like this.
-WISCONSIN AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). Wisky has lost two straight, and needs to get things turned back around. Penn State has been off track all season long and tonight they’ll be without head coach Patrick Chambers who is serving a one game suspension.