NEWS AND NOTES
-Missouri looked like a top 20 team in the first half against Mississippi State, and looked like a sub-200 team in the second half. A lot of credit to the Bulldogs for blowing them out of the arena by outscoring them by 27 in the second half and handing Mizzou just their second loss of the season.
-Rutgers couldn’t get their motor started at all against Michigan State and was blown off the floor as well. Sparty looked as good as they had all year, especially in the second half, as they picked up the 68-45 win.
-Clemson added another notable win to their already pretty noteworthy profile as they held off NC State 74-70 in overtime. They trailed for most of the game, but stayed in it, made big plays when they had to, and got the win.
-Alabama followed up their big win against Tennessee with another really impressive win against Florida. The Tide kept the Gators at arms length for pretty much the entire game and then pulled away at the end for the 86-71 win.
-Winthrop got a huge scare from Charleston Southern on the road, but got the 78-76 win and remain unbeaten.
-In case you’re wondering, Dayton is not as good as they were a year ago. They lost to a rather pitiful Fordham team 55-54 yesterday and aren’t even looking like an NIT team at the moment.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-TULSA AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American). Tulsa is beginning to make some noise, especially after their big win against Houston. If they can pick up this conference road win and improve to 7-3 then they will definitely have our attention.
-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten). The Bonnies had a rather big setback after their loss to Rhode Island. A home loss to a winless Saint Joe’s team would be more than just a setback. It would be like losing a buy game.
-PITTSBURGH AT SYRACUSE (ACC). If Pitt can pick up this win on the road I’ll start to become a believer. They did fall to Louisville in their last game, but Louisville is tough and it was their first loss since the season opener. Syracuse is a solid 6-1, but their schedule hasn’t been the strongest and this would arguably be their best win of the year so far if they pull it off.
-RHODE ISLAND AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten). I’m still a believer in Richmond, but they need to hold serve against non-tournament caliber teams for pretty much the rest of the year in order to land inside the bubble.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). VA Tech still has an amazing profile and has the chance to add another really big win to it tonight. Louisville is 7-1 and is looking to add some good wins to their resume themselves.
-ARKANSAS AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Arkansas has a bloated record, but they amassed it largely through buy games. Tonight will be a real test against a Tennessee team that looks like they’re good enough to be a protected seed, but who is also coming off a loss to Alabama.
-VCU AT GEORGE MASON (Atlantic Ten). This should be a winnable road game for a VCU team that right now feels like a bubble team. They need to hold serve against teams that are outside the bubble.
-WICHITA STATE AT HOUSTON (American). Virtually nothing was expected from Wichita State this year given the off the court drama just before the season started, but they’re 6-2, have looked pretty good, and have the chance to make a major statement tonight.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT XAVIER (Big East). Xavier got blown out by Seton Hall in their last game and is looking to bounce back against a decent, but not great, Saint John’s team.
-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Both teams are highly ranked and both seem to have a realistic path to a protected seed. Minney hasn’t done much away from home, though, so a win tonight would add something big to their resume.
-BOSTON COLLEGE AT DUKE (ACC). Duke hasn’t done anything impressive yet, so it’s important that they hold serve tonight.
-OKLAHOMA AT BAYLOR (Big 12). Oklahoma barely lost to Texas Tech just before Christmas and picked up a big win against West Virginia the other night. This is a test of an entirely different level, though. If they can beat Baylor on the road then they’ll belong high in the rankings.
-WAKE FOREST AT VIRGINIA (ACC). UVA shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve tonight, staying in the rankings, and staying in good shape as far as their resume goes.
-TEXAS A&M AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). I still think this South Carolina team can have a big year, but they haven’t played many games and haven’t shown all that much in the few games they have played. They need to take care of business tonight to keep the bubble within reach.
-SETON HALL AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Creighton is ranked in the top ten and looking like they could easily end up with a protected seed. Seton Hall has been a little up and down this year, but right now they’re way up with wins in seven of their last eight games and an impressive blowout win at Xavier their last time out.
-AIR FORCE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). Boise State is 8-1 on the year and looks like a solid tournament team. They should be able to hold serve tonight.