NEWS AND NOTES
-West Virginia held on to beat Iowa State, but it was shockingly difficult. Iowa State had just one win coming into this one and really hadn’t looked good at all, but late in the game they had the lead and were in a position to win it.
-BYU got what was hands down their biggest win of the year as they handed San Diego State their first loss of the season. This is the kind of win that elevates a team’s entire profile. If BYU ends up solidly in the bubble, this win will have a lot to do with why.
-Davidson got a much needed win against Rhode Island in what felt like a really pivotal game for both teams. Both had played well at times this season, but didn’t have the wins or the record to show for it. It’s possible that both will be in the discussion at the end of the year, but getting the win yesterday was important.
-Richmond jumped out to a huge lead against Loyola Chicago, and then did something that they almost never do, and that’s give up the lead. Loyola fought back and was in a position to win the game in the final minute, but just couldn’t get all the way over the hump. Richmond improves to 6-1 and gets a nice bounce back road win after falling so hard to West Virginia.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-BUTLER VS INDIANA (Crossroads Classic). Indiana has had way more ups than downs this year, and so far they have the looks of an NCAA Tournament team. This is just Butler’s third game and while they competed with Villanova earlier in the week they weren’t able to stay with them the whole way. They could really use a big win on their resume, and beating a Crossroads rival would make it that much better.
-IOWA VS GONZAGA (Sioux Falls, SD). I think it’s safe to say that this is the highest ranked match-up in the history of the state of South Dakota!! Gonzaga is back in action after having to shut down, and their first game is a doozy. Both teams are ranked in the top 3, both are probable protected seeds, potential #1 seeds, and potential Final Four teams, so it should be a fun one!
-LOUISVILLE AT WISCONSIN (ACC/Big Ten Challenge). This game had to be postponed due to COVID, but thankfully it was able to be rescheduled. Wisky’s only loss was to Milwaukee at the buzzer and they’re coming off a nice win against Loyola Chicago, but this would be the biggest win on their resume so far if they’re able to pull it off. The same is true for Louisville, who has a couple of good wins against Seton Hall and Western Kentucky, but none as big as this would likely be.
-UNC GREENSBORO AT ELON. UNCG is a team we expected a lot out of this year, but they’ve struggled so far and may be running out of strikes as far as getting inside the bubble goes. Elon has gotten off to a nice 3-0 start and looks to extend that today.
-NORTH CAROLINA VS KENTUCKY (CBS Sports Classic). UNC is improved, but still has some work to do. Kentucky’s only win was a home buy game in their season opener, so they’ve got more than just a little work to do.
-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT ALABAMA. This one actually has big tournament implications because both are fighting for spots inside the bubble. WKU has a few nice wins already, but their opportunities will be limited once conference play starts so adding another one would be invaluable. Alabama has wins against Providence and a pretty good Furman team, so they’re in decent shape out of the gate, but it’s always good to add another win like this one to the resume.
-PURDUE VS NOTRE DAME (Crossroads Classic). Purdue is looking really good all of a sudden with a 5-2 record and a win against Ohio State. Notre Dame has had their struggles, but they did beat Kentucky and played both Ohio State and Duke reasonably close, so they’re capable of winning this if Purdue overlooks them.
-OLE MISS AT DAYTON. Ole Miss is unbeaten but also untested. Dayton’s only loss was a close one to a really good SMU team, but they need some meat on their resume as well.
-CHATTANOOGA AT UAB. Both teams are untested, but both are also unbeaten, so both will be tested today. This is one that I certainly have circled as an Under the Radar Showcase.
-PORTLAND AT OREGON. Portland is off to a really good 5-1 start, but they haven’t had to lift as much weight as they’re going to need to lift today in order to get the win.
-BAYLOR AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12). Baylor is back in action for just the second time in December, and shouldn’t have too much trouble getting the road win in their conference opener.
-FURMAN AT WINTHROP. Another great UTR game between two rivals who are poised to have big years. Furman is 5-2 and while they don’t have any huge wins, they did play Cincinnati and Alabama close in their two losses and still have a shot at landing inside the bubble, although their margin for error is small. Winthrop is unbeaten with some decent wins of their own, but this would probably be their biggest of the season so far if they’re able to pull it off.
-UCLA VS OHIO STATE (CBS Sports Classic). This is good game between a UCLA team that I think is being undervalued right now, and an Ohio State team who’s looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season and pick up what would be one of their better wins.
-UC SANTA BARBARA AT PEPPERDINE. This is an intriguing regional match-up between a UCSB team that we think will be a Big West front runner and a Pepperdine team that’s played pretty well this year.
-BUFFALO AT SYRACUSE. Buffalo should be able to make some noise in the MAC, but Syracuse should be able to make some noise on a national scale. Their only loss on the season was at Rutgers in a game where they played pretty well, and they are just looking to hold serve tonight.
-ARIZONA AT STANFORD (Pac 12). Stanford is a modest 3-2 right now, but I still like their team and think they’re capable of having a big season and landing well inside the bubble. Arizona is unbeaten, but also mostly untested, so it’ll be interesting to see what they do on the road tonight.
-CINCINNATI AT GEORGIA. Cincinnati has been up and down this year, but their record is mostly down. While they played well against Xavier and Tennessee, they didn’t win either game, and are coming off a loss to what appears to be a mediocre South Florida team. Georgia is unbeaten against a very weak schedule, so I won’t really be a believer in them until they…well…win a game like the one they’re playing today.
-COLORADO STATE AT SAINT MARY’S. Colorado State is a a team that we like out of the Missouri Valley, but early on they’ve had trouble getting onto the court. This is just their third game of the season, but it’s also a big test and a huge opportunity against a 7-1 Saint Mary’s team that we thought would be rebuilding, but that’s looked really good so far.
-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT VILLANOVA (Big Five). I almost put this down with the buy games because of how big of a mismatch it is, but it is a rivalry game, their is a lot of heat between the two teams, and it certainly isn’t a buy game.
-UCF AT FLORIDA STATE. This should be a winnable home game for the Seminoles who are 4-0 on the season and once again look to be good enough to earn a protected seed.
BUY GAMES (or games that might as well be)
-Kansas City is playing Kansas Christian today. Twice. So…that’s different.
-James Madison @ East Carolina
-Hofstra @ Saint Bonaventure
-Grambling @ Tulane
-Jacksonsville @ Miami FL
-Campbell @ NC State
-NJIT @ Temple – first game for both teams
-Houston Baptist @ Oklahoma
-Coppin State @ Virginia Tech
-Gardner Webb @ Duke