For Jon Teitel’s latest Bracketology projection – CLICK HERE
Norfolk State (10-12, 6-1) at North Carolina Central (9-12, 5-2) – 7:00 PM EST (ESPNU)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to the hotbed of Durham, North Carolina for a matchup between the hometown North Carolina Central Eagles and the Norfolk State Spartans who are only eight miles apart. NC Central beat Norfolk State last year in the MEAC Championship game to win the auto bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles are also completing a three-game homestand tonight that already includes wins against Delaware State and South Carolina State. Jibri Blound leads NCCU with 19.6 points a game and 9.1 rebounds a game.
Norfolk State got off to a perfect 6-0 start in league play, although they are coming off of a 74-68 loss at North Carolina A&T back on Saturday. There is a little more added urgency to this current road trip since Norfolk State does not have return games against either the Eagles or the Aggies scheduled for the regular season. Jermaine Bishop leads the Spartans with 14.0 points a game.
OTHER NEWS, NOTES, AND GAMES
-Iowa picked up another nice win against a really strong Illinois team yesterday. The Big Ten continues to be a gauntlet for teams when they go on the road.
-UCLA didn’t have any trouble with Utah yesterday. The Bruins have put together a nice little stretch where they’ve won four out of five. It’s most likely too late for them to land inside the bubble, but they are playing a lot better now than they were early on and may be a headache for Pac 12 teams the rest of the way.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC). Florida State continues to play like a protected seed and should end up there if they can continue to hold serve. North Carolina should be getting better now that Cole Anthony is back, but they did lose to Boston College over the weekend so they’re still not all the way back yet.
-BAYLOR AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12). Baylor should be able to pick up another road win and remain solidly in the hunt for a #1 seed.
-TEXAS AT KANSAS (Big 12). Texas is squarely on the bubble. Obviously this would boost them inside of it if they’re able to pick up the win, but that’s easier said than done given how rarely Kansas loses at home. Kansas is also squarely in the hunt for a #1 seed and will remain there if they hold serve tonight.