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-Virginia rebounded from the home loss at Duke by winning on the road at North Carolina, and picking up yet another solid win for their resume. It’s now looking like the ACC will put two teams on the top line.
-Kansas got a much needed road win against TCU, and needed overtime to do it. Toward the end of regulation, Kansas appeared to be in control. Then they melted down as TCU came back and got the lead and they appeared to be in control. But, Kansas was able to force overtime, and the lead flipflopped in OT as well. It was an exciting game, and it there was quite a bit on the line for both teams. Kansas had just one true road win and desperately needed some more, and TCU was hovering around the bubble and needed some stability.
-Oklahoma is now six games below .500 in Big 12 play after losing to Baylor, which is not good at all.
-PURDUE AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Purdue was given a protected seed by the committee on Saturday, and a win on the road against a really strong Maryland team would help further cement that, as well as keep them within reach of finishing first in the Big Ten.
-LSU AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Both are probable tournament teams, and both have been playing really well since conference play started. LSU has just one loss in the league, but this is far and away the toughest game they’ve played all season. Kentucky actually has a path to a #1 seed if they can keep winning and adding big wins to their resume.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Michigan State had one bad week, but appears to be back on track. This is a very tough road game for the Spartans against a Wisky team that could still end up as a protected seed if everything falls right. They’re looking to bounce back from a road loss at Michigan where they gave a fairly good account of themselves.
-BUFFALO AT AKRON (MAC). This is another really tough conference road game for the Bulls. Akron has had their issues, but they’ve won four of their last five and have just one loss at home this year.
-MARQUETTE AT DEPAUL (Big East). Marquette is coming off a big emotional win against Villanova, and they need to come back down to Earth because winning at DePaul is no longer the cakewalk that it used to be. They’ve won two straight and are just a game below .500 in Big East play.
-MICHIGAN AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). This is a game that Michigan should clearly win despite being a road team. They still have a path to a #1 seed if they can finish strong.
-BUTLER AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). As weak as the bubble is, some still have Butler hovering around it. I think they need to string together several wins just to get into the picture, but they do have a path to it, and a win tonight would be a fantastic start. The Johnnies are a combination of impressive wins, good efforts, and head scratching losses. They should win tonight, but one never knows with them.
-DUKE AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Two top 16 seeds and two likely protected seeds. Louisville’s resume is good, but their team may be capable of being even better when you look at how close some of their losses were and to how good those opponents were. They’re coming off an overtime loss against Florida State team that nearly beat Duke earlier in the season. Duke has three wins against top five teams, and two were away from home. That’s astoundingly good. They’ve got a chance to pick up yet another road win against a ranked team.
-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12). K State still has a two game lead over the rest of the conference, but even with that it’s hardly comfortable. Texas has been a very schizophrenic team this year, and the more wins they can pick up like this one, the more stable they will be.
-ALABAMA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). We have Alabama hovering right around the bubble, and a road win against a likely tournament team would do wonders for their resume.
-ARKANSAS AT MISSOURI (SEC). Arkansas is still on the outside looking in, but they can play their way into the mix if they’re able to string together some wins.