NEWS AND NOTES
-It was a busy day both inside and outside of college basketball yesterday. We decided to postpone Under the Radar until tonight so be on the lookout for that. We hope everyone out there, regardless of political affiliation, is safe and has a healthy peace of mind after yesterday. Other than those well wishes, we will stick what we stick to on this site, which is college basketball.
-Seton Hall had looked really good coming into yesterday’s game at Creighton. They did not look good yesterday. Creighton, on the other hand, looked amazing. They blew The Hall off the court 89-53 in one of the most impressive single game performances we’ve seen from a Big East team (or any team that isn’t Gonzaga) all season long.
-Tennessee had to come from behind to beat Arkansas in a 79-74 battle. While Arkansas didn’t win, I think I was more impressed with them yesterday than I had been at any point before that.
-Minnesota continues to look like a protected seed at home and a sub-NIT team on the road. Michigan blew their doors off 82-57.
-Louisville appeared to have Virginia Tech at arms length for the whole game, but the Hokies kept it just close enough to keep it within reach, and actually had a shot to win the game as time expired, but the Cardinals held on for the 73-71 win.
-Duke beat Boston College. By 1. At home. I think it’s time for me to say that I’m not all that impressed with Duke this year.
-Pitt got a really nice road win against Syracuse. We were quick to write off the Panthers when they lost their season opener, but they’ve lost just one game since then and are now starting to rack up some quality wins.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-OREGON AT COLORADO (Pac 12). Oregon is in the rankings, but has a chance to pick up what would be one of their better wins of the season so far considering that it’s a conference road game against a Colorado team that appears to be of tournament caliber (but who could also use a notable win of their own).
-IOWA AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Iowa continues to look like a solid protected seed who could win the Big Ten and/or end up as a #1 seed.
-INDIANA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Indiana is looking to safely secure a spot inside the bubble and a win in a game like this can certainly help with that. Wisky is trying to win a Big Ten title and earn a #1 seed.
-CINCINNATI AT SMU (American). SMU is coming off their first loss of the season, but it was to Houston so it’s hardly damaging. They’re in good shape and will remain that way so long as they hold serve tonight.
-SEMO AT BELMONT (Ohio Valley). A win for Belmont gets them to 11-1, and if they run the table in the OVC, which they are good enough to do, they may sneak inside the bubble.
-COLORADO STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West). Colorado State’s big win against San Diego State has made them look like a possible tournament team, but they pretty much need to roll over all their opponents who are outside the bubble if they want to get there.
-BYU AT GONZAGA (West Coast). BYU looks like a solid tournament team, but even solid tournament teams are overmatched by Gonzaga. I mean hell! protected seeds appear to be overmatched by Gonzaga.
-ILLINOIS AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Northwestern has been on a bit of a skid since getting off to such an incredible start, and it will be tough to pull themselves out of it tonight against an Illinois team that’s in the rankings and looking like they can earn a protected seed.
-WASHINGTON AT STANFORD (Pac 12). I still think this Stanford team has potential, but they need to pick up some big wins between now and the end. They also need to hold serve in games like this.
-USC AT ARIZONA (Pac 12). I like this USC team, but their resume could use some patch work. A road win in a game like this would certainly help.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT CALIFORNIA (Pac 12). Wazzu’s only loss of the season was in overtime to Arizona. The problem is they have no quality wins to speak of, but they’ll get their chances between now and the end. They also need to keep beating up on non-tournament teams in order to have a chance.
-NEVADA AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State still looks like a team that will land solidly inside the bubble despite a couple of setbacks. They need to hold serve in games like this.
-UCLA AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12). I think these are two likely tournament teams, but it’s also two teams who need to build up their resumes and tonight’s game is an opportunity to do that.