News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Feb 9th

We’ve got another fully loaded Saturday!!

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-DUKE AT VIRGINIA (ACC) (***Spotlight Game***).  The first meeting was a thriller, and this one may not be any different.  If Virginia wins and evens the score, I think the end result is that both teams have a clear shot at the #1 line.  If Duke wins, then I still think Virginia can (and will) end up on the #1 line, but evening the score would make it seem a lot more like a slam dunk.

-WISCONSIN AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  Michigan is a probable protected seed, and with six straight wins Wisky could be on their way to ending up as one.  Needless to say this will be a quality win on the resume of the team that pulls it off.

-MIAMI FL AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  North Carolina is playing like a #2 seed and should remain in that range so long as they hold serve.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT CLEMSON (ACC).  I like Virginia Tech, but not nearly as much as the voters do.  They’re currently ranked #11th, and I don’t even think they have a protected seed caliber profile at the moment.  Still, this would be a nice road win if they’re able to pull it off.  Clemson needs to string together some wins just to end up in the conversation.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT KANSAS (Big 12).  Kansas has been struggling, but not at home.  This is a winnable game for them and they just need to hold serve.

-PROVIDENCE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  The Johnnies are coming off a huge win at Marquette, and seem to be coasting to an NCAA Tournament berth.  They are looking to hold serve today at home.

-BUTLER AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  Georgetown is on the outside looking in, but they are still within reach of the bubble.  This win would put them over .500 in conference and they can still make the dance if they can string together some wins.

-TEMPLE AT TULSA (American).  Temple is a bubble team, and is clearly the better team in this game.  But, it ain’t easy winning at Tulsa.  They’re 11-2 at home and if Temple can pull this off they deserve some credit for it.

-KENTUCKY AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  This will be a tough road test for Kentucky, but they’ve been tested in tough road environments before and have passed with flying colors.  Mississippi State is coming off a close loss to LSU, and this would be a great win for them to have on their resume.

-DAVIDSON AT UMASS (Atlantic Ten).  If Davidson wins out they may get some love from the committee, but as well as they’re playing they’ll probably still need to win the A10 Tourney in order to feel safe.

-OLE MISS AT GEORGIA (SEC).  This is a winnable road game for Ole Miss.  They’re not totally screwed if they don’t win it, but they really need to win the road games against sub-NIT caliber teams to demonstrate that they themselves are a solid NCAA team.

-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Michigan State has lost two straight, and although their paper is still solid, I think they need this win at home for their mental health as much as anything.  Minney is inside the bubble and this certainly won’t knock them out of it, but a win would really help stabilize them.

-TCU AT IOWA STATE (Big 12).  TCU has two problems.  They lack good wins, and they lack road wins of any kind.  They can address both of those if they’re able to win at Iowa State today.  But, that’s easier said than done.  Iowa State is looking more and more like a protected seed and will stay on that track if they’re able to hold serve.

-AUBURN AT LSU (SEC).  This would be Auburn’s biggest win of the year, by a long shot, if they’re able to pull it off.  I’ve been criticizing them all season, but will certainly back off if they pick this one up.  LSU, on the other hand, has just one conference loss and is continuing to build a very impressive resume.

-VCU AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten).  If VCU wins out I think they’ll get some love from the committee and will get in even without the automatic bid.  But, anything short of that and they are in real trouble.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT SYRACUSE (ACC).  This is a game that Syracuse should win, and it would damage them if they don’t win.  Having said that, one never knows what Syracuse is going to do.

-COLORADO STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West, Front Range).  We at Hoops HD Love the…..OH FORGET IT!!!

-NC STATE AT PITTSBURGH (ACC).  NC State is just 2-4 on the road, and although Pitt isn’t exactly a tournament team, NC State’s margin for error is razor thin and putting another road win on their resume will certainly help.

-VILLANOVA AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  These are the two flagship programs in the Big East.  Nova has a two game lead, and a win puts it almost out of reach for Marquette, plus it gives Nova a win against a potential protected seed on the road, which furthers Nova’s resume.  Marquette can get back within range of a first place finish if they’re able to pull off the win, plus put another huge win on their resume.

-CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT BUFFALO (MAC).  Every game for Buffalo feels like a stakes game because the losses are more damaging when they’re not facing other tournament caliber teams.  They’re back at home today, and should be able to pick this one up and stay within a game of first place.

-ARKANSAS AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  We still have Arkansas outside of our bubble, but they are definitely moving in the right direction and a conference road win would be another big step forward.

-FLORIDA AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Tennessee is ranked #1, on pace to end up as a #1 seed, and playing at home in another winnable game.  Florida has been playing better, but they’ll need to play insanely better to beat the #1 team on the road.

-LOUISVILLE AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC).  We have Louisville all the way up on the #2 line, and although the real committee may not have them that high yet, a win today would be their third true road win against a ranked team.  As of now, they are the only team with two.  Easier said than done, though.  Florida State went through a bit of a skid, but has won four in a row and playing really well at home.

-TEXAS TECH AT OKLAHOMA (Big Twelve).  This is a huge game for both teams.  For Texas Tech, the resume is a little flimsy by protected seed standards and adding a quality road win would certainly help.  For Oklahoma, they are currently four games under .500 in conference play and their chances of making the NCAA Tournament will evaporate if they don’t get that turned around in a hurry.

-NEW MEXICO AT NEVADA (Mountain West).  The first time these two met, Nevada suffered their only loss of the season.  And, they didn’t just lose.  They were pile driven.  I think that was more of an anomaly than anything else, and we could see the same thing in reverse today.

-KANSAS STATE AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Believe it or not, K State is your current Big 12 leader!  And Baylor will overtake them if they pull off a win in this game.  Neither team was spectacular out of conference, and Baylor was flat out bad, but both are on fire now and this one should be fun.

-TEXAS AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  Texas has been very schizophrenic and their resume could really use some stabilizing.  One just never knows what they are going to do.  They should beat the worst team in the conference on the road, but will they?

-COPPIN STATE AT SAVANNAH STATE (MEAC).  The Team of the People is going after their third straight win!!

-CREIGHTON AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Seton Hall basically needs to stop sucking.  They’ve lost five of their last six and are in a complete freefall.  This is a home game against a team that is not a tournament caliber team.  They need to win it.

-NEBRASKA AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Nebraska is pretty much out of the race.  They’ve been in freefall mode since the injury bug hit them and they don’t seem to be coming out of it.  Purdue, on the other hand, is playing like a protected seed after a bit of a sluggish start, and will remain on that pace if they hold serve today.

-ALABAMA AT VANDERBILT (SEC).  Bama is inside our bubble, but I’d hardly call them a team that is ready to just cruise on in.  This is a road game against a non-tournament caliber team, and these are the kinds of games they need to be able to win.

-SAINT MARY’S AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  This is a big rivalry game, but this edition of it appears to be a huge mismatch.  Gonzaga is on pace to get a #1 seed, and SMC will maybe make the NIT.  Maybe.

-UTAH STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West).  I suppose Utah State’s at-large hopes are barely flickering, but they pretty much need to win out and pick up a win against Nevada at some point.

-WASHINGTON AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac Twelve).  This is probably the toughest game Washington has left, and assuming they keep playing like they have been it’s probably their toughest game until they play in the Round of 64.  Arizona State inexplicably lost to Wazzu on Thursday.  By a lot.  They need this win, and maybe all the rest of them, to end up on the right side of the bubble.

UNDER THE RADAR

-BOSTON U AT BUCKNELL (Patriot League).  Bucknell has a one game lead with seven games remaining.  A win today gets them closer to clinching home court advantage.

-ALBANY AT VERMONT (America East).  Vermont is trying to hold on to first place in the AEast.

-HIGH POINT AT RADFORD (Big South).  Radford can sustain their two game lead, and perhaps widen it to three, with just seven games to go.  Home court advantage is what they are playing for.

-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT FURMAN (SoCon).  Neither team is likely to land inside the bubble, but both are among the four best teams in the conference and both are capable of winning the auto-bid.  Should be a fun one today.

-BELMONT AT MOREHEAD STATE (Ohio Valley).  Belmont is in the hunt for first place in the OVC, and if they win out but lose in the conference tourney I think the committee will take a serious look at them.

-JACKSONVILLE AT LIPSCOMB (Atlantic Sun).  I say this every week, but if Lipscomb wins out I think they should be in

-COASTAL CAROLINA AT TEXAS STATE (Sun Belt).  Just won game separates the top five teams in this league, and these are two of the five teams that are part of that logjam.

-EASTERN ILLINOIS AT AUSTIN PEAY (Ohio Valley).  Austin Peay is part of a tight OVC race.

-NORTH DAKOTA AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (Summit).  South Dakota State has a one game lead with just six games remaining.  They’ve got a clear shot at an outright first place finish.

-TOLEDO AT BOLWING GREEN (MAC).  Bowling Green is coming off a huge win against Buffalo, they’re unbeaten at home, and they’re in first place in the MAC.  They’ll be tested again today against a pretty good Toledo team.

-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT NORTH TEXAS (Conference USA).  Just one game separates the top four teams in CUSA, and these two are right in the mix.  WKU has been disappointing this year, but they have won 6 out of 7 and appear to have righted their ship.

-WESTERN CAROLINA AT WOFFORD (SoCon).  If Wofford wins out, or even if they just drop one more game, I think the committee should (and will) take them regardless of what happens in the conference tournament.

-UNC GREENSBORO AT CHATTANOOGA (SoCon).  UNCG is just one game back of Wofford and they’ll get another shot at them later this season.  If they can keep winning and keep pace the committee should at least look at them.

-UMASS LOWELL AT STONY BROOK (America East).  Stony Brook is just a game behind Vermont and is chasing them to try and gain home court advantage throughout the AEast Tourney.

-SIUE AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley).  Murray is part of that four team race that’s gunning for first place in the OVC.

-PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT TEXAS SOUTHERN (SWAC).  These are the top two teams in the SWAC, and if PVAM wins they don’t mathematically clinch it, but I don’t think anyone in the conference will catch them.

-NEW MEXICO STATE AT GRAND CANYON (WAC).  Hell yeah!!  This game would have had a much better storyline had GCU not lost on Thursday, but New Mexico State is in first place and GCU is just a game behind them and can pull even with a win.  And, these two teams have a fantastic feud going!

-EASTERN WASHINGTON AT MONTANA (Big Sky).  Montana is the first place team and is at home, but EWU has come to life lately.

-HAWAII AT UC IRVINE (Big West).  UC Irvine has a clear path to a first place finish, and I think is good enough to win out.