News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Jan 31st

NEWS AND NOTES

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-Last night was another chalky night in the top 25.  Iowa State, LSU, Louisville, Villanova, Virginia Tech, and Marquette all picked up conference wins without too much trouble, and with the exception of Iowa State all those wins came on the road.

-Indiana has basically crashed into a mountain.  They fell at Rutgers to extend their losing streak to seven, and I don’t think there are too many (if any) games remaining on their schedule that will be as easy to win as that one was. In recent memory, teams like Xavier and Oklahoma State have had six-game losing streaks and still managed at-large bids, but we don’t know of anyone (IF anyone) that has had a seven-game skid and still gotten an at-large bid.

-Saint John’s picked up a much needed road win at Creighton to stabilize their resume a little bit. Seton Hall also stopped their bleeding with a home win against Providence.

-Saint Louis lost at home to Richmond.  I now think there are just two ways that SLU can make the NCAA Tournament.  One is to win the Atlantic Ten Tournament.  The other is to buy tickets.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-TEMPLE AT HOUSTON (American).  Temple is squarely on the bubble, and for now their biggest win on the year is the home win at Houston.  If they’re able to beat them a second time then it will give them a much needed push in the right direction.

-PURDUE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  After several close losses earlier in the season, Purdue has really picked it up.  They are fresh off their big win against Michigan State and have a very winnable road game against Penn State tonight.

-XAVIER AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  If Georgetown is going to make a run toward the NCAA Tournament then they need to start stringing together wins immediately. Their home games in the Big East have been must-see TV though; two games were decided in regulation by 3 and 4 points apiece (losses to Marquette and Creighton) and the other two were decided in overtime (2OT win vs. Providence and OT loss vs. the Johnnies).

-UCONN AT UCF (American).  UCF is squarely on the bubble, and as of now it’s hard to say which side of it they’d be on if the season ended today, so needless to say that every game has a sense of urgency for them right now.

-ARIZONA AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac Twelve).  Arizona State’s NCAA Tournament hopes are still very much alive, but they need a strong finish to safely get there.  Beating their rivals at home will give them a nice momentum boost. Arizona had a disastrous road trip in Los Angeles and really needs a win to stabilize their season again.

-GONZAGA AT BYU (West Coast).  This is a game that Gonzaga should win, but they will be challenged more tonight then they will for most of the rest of the season, and BYU is a team that has given them fits in the past.

UNDER THE RADAR

-NORTH TEXAS AT OLD DOMINION (Conference USA).  These are two of the better teams in the league.  There is a logjam at the top of the standings right now and these two teams are in the thick of it.

-WOFFORD AT MERCER (SoCon).  It’s going to be tough for Wofford to hold serve the rest of the way, but if they can then they should be able to land inside the bubble.

-VMI AT UNC GREENSBORO (SoCon).  This is perhaps the most winnable game remaining on UNC-G’s schedule.  It is very important that they hold serve.

-SEMO AT BELMONT (Ohio Valley).  Most may disagree, but I think Belmont will get a serious look from the committee if they’re able to win out.

-MURRAY STATE AT JACKSONVILLE STATE (Ohio Valley).  This is definitely the game of the night in conference play.  It’s two of the best teams, and both are in a tie for first place with just one conference loss.  If Murray State picks up this win it would be their best of the season up to this point.

-UMKC AT NEW MEXICO STATE (WAC).  This is a winnable game for New Mexico State, who is currently in a three way tie for first place.

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