For last night’s Bracket Rundown podcast – CLICK HERE
Buffalo (19-2, 7-1 MAC) at Bowling Green (14-6, 6-1 MAC) – 8:00 PM (CBS Sports Network)
Tonight’s Game of the Day (we can’t technically call this UTR since Buffalo is a Top 25 team) involves the top two teams in the Mid-American Conference; the Bowling Green Falcons will play host to the Buffalo Bulls. Bowling Green comes into the game with a week to rest after having a ten-game winning streak snapped at Miami 67-53 last Saturday. It’s been an impressive turnaround for a team that started 4-5 overall that included 2 non-D1 wins and losses at Hartford and Cleveland State. Demajeo Wiggins averages a double-double (12.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG) for the Falcons; Justin Turner leads the team in scoring at 18.9 points a game.
Outside of the ten multi-bid leagues; Buffalo has hands-down been the most consistent team all year. They have wins at West Virginia, at Syracuse, against San Francisco in Ireland, and a sweep of Southern Illinois to go along with their 7-1 start in conference play. Their only slip-up in the MAC was a last-second loss at Northern Illinois. Against other teams in the top of the conference, they also have a win at Kent State (as does Bowling Green) and a blowout win at home against Toledo. CJ Massinburg leads the Bulls with 18.0 points a game; Jeremy Harris (14.2 PPG) and Nick Perkins (13.9 PPG) also average double figures for Buffalo as well.
OTHER GAMES AND OTHER NOTES
-MICHIGAN AT IOWA (Big Ten). Both teams are in very good shape, but I think a win today would help whoever pulls it off to get into even better shape. As good as Michigan is, they only have one true road win against a solid tournament team, and when you’re competing for a #1 seed you could use more than just one. And of course, beating a team that’s in contention for a #1 seed wouldn’t be bad for Iowa.
-YALE AT HARVARD (Ivy League). I really like this Yale team, and as weak as the bubble is I could see them getting at least a look from the committee if they run the table, but fail to make the conference tournament.
-MARYLAND AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). These are two teams that will probably land in the top half of the bracket, so it’s a good resume win for whoever can pull it off.
-The biggest surprise from last night was probably Murray State getting their doors blown off by Jacksonville State. Murray has gotten a lot of pub, and they are a very athletic team, but at the end of the day there isn’t much else in their toolbox and they’ve only got one win against a team with a winning div1 record. Jax State, on the other hand, has now beaten Belmont twice and Murray State once.
-UC Irvine picked up an overtime win at UC Santa Barbara, and is now running downhill. With the road games at Hawaii and UCSB now behind them (and having won both) It wouldn’t shock me at all to see them run the table in the Big West.