NEWS AND NOTES
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-Number One went down! Again! Kansas was behind Villanova for most of the game, but it was close. In the end, the Jayhawks missed a game winning opportunity in the final seconds and Nova held on for the upset and for their biggest win of the season. This is the 5th time a #1 team has lost this year, which means Gonzaga will likely be the 6th #1 team of the season when the rankings come out on Monday. Chances are Gonzaga will remain ranked #1 for much longer than anyone else has. No one remaining on the Zags’s schedule is currently in the rankings.
-Ohio State knocked off Kentucky yesterday in another good game between top ten teams. Kentucky does appear to be improving, particularly when it comes to shooting the ball, but they came up short against a very good Ohio State team, which was their second straight loss. Kentucky’s next game is against Louisville. In the past we’ve seen them struggle, then play well and win that game, and then be on solid ground the rest of the season. Once again, that will be a big one next week for Kentucky.
-Colorado got a huge win in an overtime thriller against Dayton, which is hands down the biggest win of the season for the Buffs so far. Dayton has lost two games this year, and both were overtime thrillers. As good as the Flyers are, they still haven’t beaten a team that looks like they will decisively be inside the bubble, which could end up hurting them when it comes to seeding later on.
-Saint John’s knocked off Arizona in the Al Attles Hall of Fame Classic in what was one of the more surprising results of the day (especially with Mustapha Heron not playing). The Johnnies jumped out to a big first half lead and were able to hold on as Arizona made a run at them, but couldn’t get the win.
-Butler picked up yet another impressive win as they knocked off Purdue in a game where they really never had to sweat. Butler is ranked in the teens, and will likely continue to rise in the polls.
-San Diego State improved to 12-0 after absolutely blowing Utah off the court. This is the same Utah team that just beat Kentucky a few nights ago. San Diego State is DAMN good!
-Indiana held on to beat Notre Dame and improve to 11-1. They did blow a big lead in this game, but what’s important is that they held on to win, and it was a win that was (mostly) away from home.
-Wichita State is now 10-1 after their home win against a really good VCU team. People forgot about the Shockers last year. Well, they are back! Here’s the thing. They finished last season 14-4 with all four of those losses being by ten points or less. Two were against ranked teams. So, they’re really 24-5 in their last 29 games, yet people STILL seem to be overlooking them because of how poor they were at the beginning of last season. I would advise not overlooking them anymore!!
-Illinois continues to be a Jekyll and Hyde story. Some nights they look great and beat ranked teams. Other nights they lose to teams like Missouri, who have struggled all year long.
-Providence blew Texas off the floor. It was a complete 180 from everything the Friars have done this season up until yesterday! I guess the same can be said for the Longhorns, only their 180 was good to bad instead of bad to good. Is this a sign that Providence may actually turn out to be the team we thought they were after all?
-Utah State picked up a really nice win against Florida in the Orange Bowl Classic. They really needed this for their resume. Florida, on the other hand, continues to show signs of being really good, but never consistently looking really good.
-Minnesota got a really nice road win against Oklahoma State. The Gophers are a modest 6-5, but they’ve also won three of their last four and knocked off Ohio State and Oklahoma State during that stretch.
-Saint Louis is another team that’s quietly flying under the radar, but that people need to sit up and look at. They picked up a road win at Kansas State yesterday, which improved them to 10-2, gave them their first true road win, and their third win away from home.
-Creighton picked up a really big road win at Arizona State yesterday, which is probably their signature win of the season. The Bluejays are now 10-2 and you have to start paying attention to them.
-USC knocked off LSU in a close game to improve to 10-2 on the season. They are a team that’s kind of flying under the radar as well.
-Iowa blew a 15-point 2nd half lead against Cincinnati, but came back to hold off the Bearcats in a neutral-court game in Chicago. The Hawkeyes continue to look like a potential noisemaker in the Big 10. Cincinnati has a lot of work to do in the American this year if they want to get back to the NCAA Tournament this year.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT VIRGINIA. South Carolina has looked good at times this season, and is actually 2-0 in true road games. Virginia has just one loss, but has struggled offensively this year. UVA should hold serve and get the win, but it may be more competitive than what some are expecting.
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT MISSISSIPPI STATE. New Mexico State still can’t get healthy. If they can, then they will be a force to be reckoned with, but today will most likely end up looking like another buy game.
-HOUSTON VS PORTLAND (Diamond Head Classic). This tournament is a chance for Houston to finally break out onto the national scene. Granted, today’s game won’t end up looking all that impressive, but if they can win the even then their resume should improve.
-XAVIER AT TCU. This is a big game for both teams. Both have good records, but both are lacking in notable wins. This is a resume building opportunity for two teams that need to build up their resumes.
-BALL STATE VS WASHINGTON (Diamond Head Classic). Ball State has looked good at times, but is likely way overmatched today against a really strong Washington team.
-UTEP AT HAWAI’I (Diamond Head Classic). UTEP has shown signs of improvement, but they are still looking for their first win away from home. Both teams will have to beat a team like Washington or Houston in order to make an impression on the committee.
BUY GAMES (and equivalencies)
-Purdue Fort Wayne @ Iowa State
-Lafayette @ Rutgers
-New Hampshire @ UConn
-Marshall @ Northern Iowa
-Houston Baptist @ New Mexico
-Duquesne vs UAB – Saint Pete Shootout
-Richmond vs Radford – DC Holiday Hoops Fest
-Prairie View A&M @ Seton Hall
-The Citadel @ NC State