It’s another huge day of hoops with the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, and quite a few other big games as well…
-KANSAS AT KENTUCKY (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). It’s not November or December, but it will technically go in the books as YET ANOTHER OOC TOP TEN MATCH UP!!! We’ve had more of those this year than any season I can recall. Both these teams seem very #2 seedish to me. Kansas has slipped a little bit since being hit hard with the injury bug, but if they can win this game then I think it erases a lot of doubts with them. If Kentucky pulls it off then they have a potential path to a #1 seed when you consider that they will face Tennessee multiple times between now and the end, and that they’ve (for the most part) avoided bad losses.
-GEORGIA TECH AT DUKE (ACC). This is an ACC game that in all likelihood will end up looking like a buy game by the time it’s over.
-ILLINOIS VS MARYLAND (Big Ten, New York City). This is a Big Ten game that in all likelihood will end up looking like a buy game by the time it’s over.
-IOWA STATE AT OLE MISS (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). Neither team began the season in the rankings, and I don’t think either were expected to do all that much, but both have played their way into the top 25, both are probable NCAA Tournament teams, and it would be a nice resume win for whichever team pulls it off.
-FLORIDA AT TCU (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). Both teams are hovering around the bubble, and we feel that Florida is on the outside of it. It’s a big game for two teams that still need to build up their resumes.
-OHIO STATE AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). Nebraska is a home court hero and is capable of beating ranked teams at home, but other than a win at Indiana has done very little else. Ohio State has done nothing since the start of the new year. Both these teams are in a bit of a tailspin and could really use a win in this game.
-ALABAMA AT BAYLOR (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). Baylor has really kicked it into gear lately, and if they keep it up they’ll not only make the NCAA Tournament, but be in the top half of the bracket. Alabama has looked really solid at times, but still has some work to do, and a road win like this could really help them out.
-VIRGINIA AT NOTRE DAME (ACC). Virginia may be the best team in the country, and is gunning for a #1 seed. If they keep winning, which they are certainly good enough to do, then that’s where they’ll end up.
-MARQUETTE AT XAVIER (Big East). Marquette is looking more and more like a protected seed, and if that’s the case then this is the kind of road game they should be expected to win.
-CLEMSON AT NC STATE (ACC). NC State didn’t play the toughest of schedules, and while they’re good they don’t have the highest caliber of wins, so they need to make sure they continue to hold serve at home against teams that are outside the NCAA Tournament picture.
-PITTSBURGH AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Pitt is much improved, but they still don’t have a true road win on their resume. Louisville is looking more and more like a protected seed and should be able to hold serve. Pitt won the first meeting in overtime between these two, but that game was at Pitt.
-DAVIDSON AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten). SLU may be one or two losses away from being completely out of strikes. They pretty much need to win out in order to feel safe.
-TEXAS AT GEORGIA (SEC/ Big 12 Challenge). Texas has been a very schizophrenic team, and while I think they should win this game easily, one never knows what they are going to do. Their good wins are really good, and their bad losses are really bad. This would be another bad loss if they fail to get it done.
-VCU AT DUQUESNE (Atlantic Ten). This game has the intrigue of a much improved Duquesene team and a VCU team that has a chance of ending up inside the bubble if they’re able to win out.
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT OKLAHOMA STATE (SEC/ Big 12 Challenge). South Carolina has flipped a switch since conference play began, and is actually playing like a tournament caliber team. They’ve still got a long ways to go, but if they keep it up they may get there.
-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS A&M (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). K State is looking like a protected seeded caliber team, and TAMU is looking like a team that just flat out sucks. That makes this a very winnable road game for K State.
-NORTHWESTERN AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Wisky seems to be back on track with two straight wins, and has another winnable game at home today.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT TENNESSEE (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). Back in October, I was really excited about this game. Now it’s looking like it could be a complete pounding. Having said that, Tennessee has had to sweat in their last two games and West Virginia recently knocked off Kansas, so they shouldn’t be too cocky.
-UTAH STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West). Utah State is probably out of strikes, but if they’re able to win out they could end up landing inside the bubble.
-FRESNO STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West). Similar to Utah State, Fresno State has NCAA Tournament hopes that are barely flickering, and they pretty much need to win out to have any real chance.
-VANDERBILT AT OKLAHOMA (SEC/ Big 12 Challenge). Oklahoma is coming off a nice win against Oklahoma State, which should get them turned back around after they dropped a few games. They’ve got another very winnable game at home this weekend that won’t help them out all that much on paper, but could be good for their mental health.
-WASHINGTON AT OREGON STATE (Pac Twelve). Washington is coming off an exciting win against Oregon, which is probably their best win of the season on paper. They’ve got another challenging but winnable road game today against the Beavers.
-ARKANSAS AT TEXAS TECH (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). Arkansas is better than we thought they’d be this year, but they still don’t look much like an NCAA Tournament team. Texas Tech could still end up with a protected seed, but they’re lacking the high caliber wins that they had a year ago, at least for right now. They’ve also been in a bit of a rut and need to pull themselves out of that with a win today.
-LSU AT MISSOURI (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). LSU has been playing much better, and has cracked the rankings. They’ve got a winnable road game today and should be able to keep that momentum going.
-SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AT SAVANNAH STATE (MEAC). The Team of the People!!! Savannah State has a winnable game at home today, which will hopefully get things turned around for them.
-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT PENN (Big Five). A win for Penn makes them a perfect 4-0 in Big Five play and gives them the outright title!! The bad news is that the Big Five is simply a mythical conference, and while the winner has never missed the NCAA Tournament so far as we know, Penn can’t get in without the Ivy auto bid despite having a couple of really good wins.
-SYRACUSE AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). Syracuse has been schizophrenic all season long, but these last couple of weeks they seem to have gotten it together and are playing consistently good basketball. VA Tech, on the other hand, has not won a game that comes anywhere close to indicating they are a top 10 team even though the voters have them ranked 10th for some reason. I know they’re at home, but this is hardly a shoe in for them.
-ARIZONA STATE AT USC (Pac Twelve). Arizona State his hovering around the bubble despite having some pretty big wins, and needs to hold serve against non-tournament teams, which in the case of the Pac Twelve is damn near the entire conference.
-AUBURN AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). This is a very important game for two teams with good records, but without many (or any) really good wins. The voters like them both, but neither team’s resume is as good as their current ranking. I think this is a very big game for both teams, and would be the biggest win of the season for either team up to this point.
UNDER THE RADAR
-HOFSTRA AT TOWSON (Colonial). Hofstra is unbeaten in the league and is good enough to win out. If they do, then they’ll be looking at the #12 line in the Round of 64.
-SAMFORD AT FURMAN (SoCon). Furman still has a pretty strong resume despite being three games out of first place in the SoCon. If they hold serve and can finish in second place behind Wofford the committee should at least look at them.
-BELMONT AT AUSTIN PEAY (Ohio Valley). The two losses to Jacksonville State hurt, but I can’t help but think that if Belmont wins out that the committee will at least look at them.
-TEXAS STATE AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN (Sun Belt). Texas State is coming off a really nice win at Georgia State, and is now in the driver’s seat to finish first in the Sun Belt and earn what should be a manageable seed in the Round of 64
-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT NORTH TEXAS (Conference USA). The top of CUSA is a complete logjam right now, and North Texas needs to bounce back from their loss to UAB the other night.
-VERMONT AT STONY BROOK (America East). These are the top two teams, and this game is hugely important in determining who will get home court advantage throughout the conference tournament.
-CHATTANOOGA AT WOFFORD (SoCon). Wofford has cut it very close the last two games, and this one won’t be all that easy either, but they keep winning, and if they keep doing that they’ve got a very good shot at landing inside the bubble and not needing the auto-bid.
-TENNESSEE STATE AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley). Murray State’s at-large hopes are pretty much shot. They’ll need to win the auto-bid. But finishing in the top two gives them a bye into the semis, so it’s still important that they do well.
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT UTVRG (WAC). New Mexico State is still in the race to finish first in the WAC, and should be able to pick this one up on the road.
-WEBER STATE AT MONTANA (Big Sky). These are two of the better teams in the Big Sky, and this game will likely have a huge impact on who ends up winning the league.
-UC SANTA BARBARA AT LONG BEACH STATE (Big West). It’s a two horse race in the Big West between UCSB and UC Irvine. They need to pick this one up on the road to keep pace.
-GRAND CANYON AT CAL BAPTIST (WAC). GCU had some tough close losses out of conference, but is 5-1 in league play with the only loss being on a beyond half court shot at the buzzer against New Mexico State. Cal Baptist can be tough to beat at home, so this one should be good.
-UC RIVERSIDE AT UC IRVINE (Big West). The much anticipated RiverVine Cup!!! The best made up trophy in all of sports!! UC Irvine is in a race for first with UCSB, so every game has a pivotal feel.