NEWS, NOTES, AND LINKS
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Stephen F Austin and Abilene Christian – CLICK HERE
-For Jon Teitel’s Conference Tournament Previews (Part 1) – CLICK HERE
-Follow all the conference tournament action – CLICK HERE
-Follow the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD – CLICK HERE
-Regular season play ends tonight in the America East and Sun Belt. Keep an eye on the Conference Tournaments tab for those brackets!
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). This is a very bubblicious game. Neither team appears to be inside the bubble right now, but both teams have a path if they can finish strong. This game is hugely pivotal for both teams in that regard. South Carolina has now lost three out of four and is pretty much out of strikes.
-MARYLAND AT RUTGERS (Big Ten). In order to feel safe, I think Rutgers needs to win at Purdue this weekend. The biggest problem they have is a lack of road wins, and even though beating Maryland at home would be big, it doesn’t address the biggest hole in their resume. Still, a win would really help. The Terps still have a shot to land up on the #2 line, and a road win against a Rutgers team with only one home loss would really help their case, so there is something on the line for them as well.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). Penn State has been slipping, but they are still locked into the tournament and could still end up as a protected seed. Michigan State is coming off what is easily their biggest win of the year, and picked a good time of the season to start playing at their best. Both teams are on the protected seed bubble, so to speak, and this is a game that could really help their resume in terms of seeding.
-CINCINNATI AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American). Cincinnati continues to cling to the outside of the bubble. They’ll need to avoid losses to teams that aren’t in the field, and pick up at least one more big win in the conference tournament to have any sort of real shot of getting in.
-DAVIDSON AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten). The Spiders are squarely on the bubble and can’t afford to stub their toes in a game like this.
-MARQUETTE AT DEPAUL (Big East). Marquette is a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament and has a chance at another winnable road game and conference win tonight.
-STEPHEN F AUSTIN AT ABILENE CHRISTIAN (Southland). SFA will get a look from the committee if they win out. Tonight will actually be one of their tougher conference road games. ACU has won seven straight and has been strong at home this year, so SFA better be on upset alert.
-TENNESSEE AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Kentucky has already wrapped up the SEC and I think should be close to wrapping up a protected seed. They shouldn’t have too much trouble at home against a decent but not great Tennessee team tonight.
-PURDUE AT IOWA (Big Ten). Iowa appears to be heading toward the top half of the bracket. Purdue is outside the bubble, but given the strength of their schedule, the quality of their wins, and the games they have remaining, a strong finish plus a strong showing in the Big Ten Tourney could still get them into the field.
-TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12). Both of these teams are on the bubble, and both really need this win. And it’s a rivalry game. So…it’s hugely important.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). West Virginia is in a tailspin and desperately needs to pull themselves out of it. This is a winnable road game that can end their losing streak, but at the same time it can cause further damage to an already damaged resume if they aren’t able to get this win.