NEWS AND NOTES
-Michigan State…..WTF??!! Four days ago we were talking about a team that was playing like a #1 seed. Now we are talking about a team who is coming off a home loss to Indiana, who had lost seven in a row, but okay flukes happen. Now they go on the road and lose to Illinois….WHO IS EVEN WORSE!!!! What a meltdown by the Spartans. They’re still in good shape, and if they get things turned back round it will just be a blip on the radar and they’ll still be within the parameters of a protected seed, but this has NOT been their week!
-Duke played with their food in the first half against Boston College and actually trailed at halftime, but they were not about to lose to BC for a second straight year. They blew out the Eagles in the 2nd half and ended up winning comfortably to get some momentum for this weekend’s big tilt at UVa.
-Another big upset was Saint John’s taking down Marquette on the road. This is far and away the biggest win for the Johnnies this year, and in the Chris Mullin era. I know they won at Nova last year, but they weren’t in position to make the tournament last year like they are this year. This was also the first time Marquette lost at home in the new FiServ Forum.
-Kansas State basically led tip to buzzer against rival Kansas. The Jayhawks were in the game, and even had the lead at certain points, but never really in control. This is interesting because Kansas is now two games back of first place in the Big 12 standings, and they still only have one true road win on the season. To be fair to Kansas, if this is the year they fail to finish first, then it needs to come with an asterisk given how good this team was prior to the injuries, but it’s looking more and more like this is the year the reign ends.
-Florida State picked up a very nice road win at Syracuse where they just blew them off the court. That’s four straight wins for the Seminoles. They have certainly stabilized what appeared to be a crumbling resume just a few weeks ago.
-Arkansas lived dangerously at home against Vandy, but did end up pulling out a 3-point win at home. Now the Hogs have to travel to a dangerous South Carolina team that is much improved but still well outside of the NCAA Tournament picture themselves.
-While Auburn’s win at home against Florida isn’t surprising, what IS surprising is that this is the first time in 11 tries since 1999 that the Tigers beat the Gators IN Auburn.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-UCONN AT TEMPLE (American). Temple is right on the bubble. UConn is not. Temple is at home. You do the math. This is a game where the Owls have to hold serve.
-MARYLAND AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). Nebraska is in the toilet, but they still have a road to the NCAA Tournament if they can turn things around and string together a few wins. Maryland is looking like a probable tournament team and can help themselves out even more by adding another road win to their resume.
-CLEMSON AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). Clemson needs to win a few games in a row just to get caught back up to the pack, but the opportunities for them are definitely there.
-TEXAS A&M AT OLE MISS (SEC). Ole Miss is coming off a loss to rival Mississippi State, but is still in reasonably good shape so long as they’re able to hold serve in games like this.
-RHODE ISLAND AT DAVIDSON (Atlantic Ten). We will highlight this not because we think Davidson can play their way onto the bubble (although I suppose it is possible), but because I feel Davidson is playing better than anyone else in the conference and while they may not have a tournament resume over the course of an entire season, they are at least playing like an NCAA Tournament caliber team right now.
-VCU AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic Ten). VCU is the team in the Atlantic Ten with the best resume, and therefore has the best chance at an at-large. They’ll have to basically win out in order to get it, though.
-GEORGETOWN AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). I’m about ready to give up on both of these teams, but having said that they’re both about a four game winning streak away from being inside the bubble, and that certainly isn’t totally impossible.
-CREIGHTON AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Based on last night’s events, Nova will have a two game lead in the Big East standings if they’re able to win tonight. They’ll also remain on a solid pace to end up as a protected seed.
-BAYLOR AT TEXAS (Big 12). Texas has been very hot and very cold throughout the season, and could use a win like this to give them some stability. Baylor, after getting off to a horrendous start, is suddenly in a battle for a first place finish in the conference.
-WISCONSIN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). It’s a conference rivalry between two probable tournament teams that are looking to add a solid win onto their resumes. Wisconsin went through a bit of a slump, but has turned things around and could even play their way into a protected seed if they keep going like they have been.
-LSU AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Mississippi State had a good weekend by picking up what was perhaps their best win of the year at Ole Miss. LSU is coming off their first conference loss and while they’re still in good shape, they don’t have a true road win against a team that’s as good as Mississippi State, so there is quite a bit to be gained by them tonight as well.
-GEORGIA AT ALABAMA (SEC). Alabama is playing with the bubble a little too much and needs to be able to hold serve at home tonight.
-WYOMING AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West, Front Range). We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!!! And we may be the only ones who are actually watching this game!!
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TCU (Big 12). TCU has a bloated record, but when it comes to quality wins they are severely lacking. Their margin for error is not that big, and they need to hold serve at home against non-tournament caliber teams.
-NEVADA AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West). Nevada has been rampaging through league play, and that will likely continue tonight.
UNDER THE RADAR
-LIPSCOMB AT NORTH FLORIDA (Atlantic Sun). Same story with Lipscomb. If they win out through the regular season I think they should be in with or without the automatic bid.
-STONY BROOK AT BINGHAMTON (America East). Stony Brook continues to lead the nation in most true road wins, and has a chance at another one tonight, not to mention trying to keep pace with Vermont for first place in the league.
-MAINE AT VERMONT (America East). Vermont is in the driver’s seat for first place, which would mean home court advantage throughout the conference tournament.
-CAL STATE FULLERTON AT UC IRVINE (Big West). UC Irvine has their toughest games behind them, and has a clear shot at winning out in Big West play.