NEWS AND NOTES
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Nicholls and McNeese – CLICK HERE
-Virginia picked up a huge win that they desperately needed. They still have work to do, but this was a huge step forward in regards to playing their way back inside the bubble and being in a position to make The Tournament on Selection Sunday.
-Auburn played an atrocious first half and one was wondering if they even belonged in the NIT. But, they fought their way back into it on the road and forced overtime, and then double overtime, and then picked up a nice road win against Ole Miss. I say it was nice. That’s really all it was. Auburn is entering a stretch of their schedule where they can pick up a lot of really good wins, so if they really are a top 20 team then they are about to get the chance to prove it.
-Texas A&M picked up a road win at Tennessee, which was their third conference road win of the year. I don’t know if we should praise TAMU, or shame the SEC.
-Rhode Island got a nice win at George Mason last night, which was their 7th win in a row. They still have some work to do, but they are looking like an NCAA Tournament team and a strong finish should land them inside the bubble, especially if they’re able to win one of their two games against Dayton.
-Syracuse’s winning streak ended with a 71-70 loss at Clemson in the final seconds of the game. The play that Clemson scored what would end up being the winning basket on was so exciting that the referees reviewed it for what seemed like a half-hour!!
-Michigan finally ended their losing streak by picking up a road win at Michigan. It was low hanging fruit, but at least it was fruit.
-Virginia Tech must have peaked too early. They fell on the road at Miami FL last night, which was their third loss in their last four games. Two of those losses came to Miami and Boston College, who aren’t exactly tournament caliber teams.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-DEPAUL AT SETON HALL (Big East). DePaul has really been digressing since the start of conference play. None of their losses are bad, but 1-6 in the league just isn’t going to be enough to get them inside the bubble. Having said that, if they can win this one on the road it would be a huge step toward getting that turned around. Seton Hall looks like a solid protected seed and has been playing like a Final Four team since the start of Big East play.
-VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Kentucky continues to play well and build their resume and they shouldn’t have any trouble holding serve at home tonight.
-NORTHWESTERN AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Like Kentucky, Michigan State is another protected seed that shouldn’t have any trouble holding serve.
DAYTON AT DUQUESNE (Atlantic Ten). Dayton has been blowing through the league, and while this is a road game against a much improved Duquesne team, Dayton is still a protected seed caliber team and Duquesne is at best an NIT team.
-HOUSTON AT EAST CAROLINA (American). Houston has been on a roll lately and this is a very winnable conference road game for them.
-ALABAMA AT LSU (SEC). Alabama isn’t inside the bubble, but after a slow star to the season they have been playing like an NCAA Tournament caliber team. While it’s much easier said than done, this is a chance for them to take a huge step forward. LSU has been playing like a protected seed over the last several weeks and seems like they’re continuing to get better.
-MEMPHIS AT UCF (American). Memphis cannot afford another loss. It’s pretty much as simple as that. They are squarely on the bubble and need to win a game like this, because while it’s a road game it’s the type of game that NCAA Tournament teams are expected to be able to win.
-MERCER AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon). I think ETSU will be inside the bubble if they win out. They should be able to pull this one off tonight.
-TEXAS AT TCU (Big 12). Both teams are outside the bubble. Both have work to do. Both need to win tonight.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). West Virginia is a protected seed caliber team that’s looking for a big road win to help keep them in that range. Texas Tech is actually right on our bubble, and needs a big win on their resume to help build it up.
-SAINT LOUIS AT LA SALLE (Atlantic Ten). I still think SLU has a chance to play their way into the field, but they’ll pretty much need to win out in order to do it.
-OKLAHOMA AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12). The Sooners are dangerously close to the bubble and need to pick up this road win tonight.
-INDIANA AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). Both these teams look like NCAA Tournament teams, but Penn State is within reach of a protected seed and Indiana is just trying to string together some wins to keep them inside the bubble. A road win tonight would certainly help that.
-MARQUETTE AT XAVIER (Big East). Marquette has been playing well lately and this would be another nice road win on their resume. Xavier is squarely in the NIT range right now and needs to string together several wins just to get back into the picture.
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Arkansas is in our field, but they need to hold serve and win this one. That may be easier said than done. South Carolina isn’t anything to get excited about right now, but they have won three of their last four and are suddenly playing well.
-BAYLOR AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). Baylor is ranked #1 and will stay there so long as they keep winning.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West). Most of San Diego State’s toughest tests are behind them, but this a road game that they could potentially slip up in. New Mexico is nowhere close to the NCAA Tournament right now, but they can be tough to beat at home.
-LOUISVILLE AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC). BC has pulled off a couple big wins at home this year, but it’s still a very winnable game for a Louisville team that is suddenly playing really well.
-ARIZONA STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac 12). Arizona State has played their way onto our bubble, and can probably play their way inside it if they can pick up both road wins this weekend.