NEWS AND NOTES
-Wisconsin outlasted Rutgers and added another nice road win to their resume. Rutgers, while good, needs to pull themselves out of the tailspin that they’re in. The issue is that in the Big Ten seemingly every game is a battle between two really good teams, and only one of them can win.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-OHIO STATE AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Both teams are in good shape, but both have to do a little more if they want to solidify themselves as protected seeds. Today’s game is a big opportunity for both.
-MARQUETTE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Marquette has been very schizophrenic this year with some monster wins and some head scratching losses. They need to be able to win these games to bring some consistency and stability to their resume.
-SYRACUSE AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). I think both these teams are outside the bubble, but Pitt is getting pretty close and can pick up another notable win today.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC). I don’t think Florida State has quite reached their potential yet, and that they need to continue to string together wins in order to get their. UNC needs some wins on their resume just to establish that they’re a team that belongs in The Tournament.
-GEORGIA AT OLE MISS (SEC). Georgia has a lot of ground to make up, but they are still in the race for a bid.
-MISSOURI AT TEXAS A&M. Missouri still looks like they could end up as a protected seed even though they’ve dropped a couple of conference games. TAMU seems to be improving as the year goes along. I don’t think they are on Missouri’s level, but a win today could completely change the complexion of their resume.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). Utah State picked up a big win the other night, and if they can repeat that then they’ll start looking like they belong in the NCAA Tournament discussion. San Diego State could use a win to stabilize their profile.
-VCU AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten). This game is always fun, and today should be no exception. It’s a rivalry game, both teams are hovering around the bubble, and both could really use the win. CANCELLED
-IOWA STATE AT KANSAS (Big 12). Kansas shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve in this one and keeping themselves within reach of a #1 seed. CANCELLED
-MICHIGAN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Michigan’s resume is incredible. They’re undefeated and have beaten some heavyweights. Minnesota has been awful on the road, but is unbeaten at home and has taken down some heavyweights of their own. So, something’s gotta give!!
-CREIGHTON AT BUTLER (Big East). Creighton is ranked in the top ten, they look like a top ten team on the court, and their resume is top ten caliber. They should be able to hold serve today.
-COASTAL CAROLINA AT GEORGIA STATE (Sun Belt). I don’t think Georgia State will be able to make a run at the bubble unless they win out, but…they may be good enough to do just that.
-TOLEDO AT AKRON (MAC). I really like how this Toledo team has been playing and think they may get a serious look if they can continue to blow through the conference.
-STANFORD AT COLORADO (Pac 12). Stanford is hugging the bubble right now and could really use some big wins to help establish that they belong inside of it. Colorado continues to look like a solid team that should be able to hold serve at home.
-ARKANSAS AT ALABAMA (SEC). Arkansas is outside the bubble, and while we kind of picked on them the other night, a win at Alabama, who’s looking more and more like a solid top 25 team, would change everything.
-BAYLOR AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Baylor is unbeaten and chasing Gonzaga for the #1 ranking. Texas Tech just picked up a huge road win against Texas, and if they can follow that up with a win against Baylor, even if it is at home, then the Red Raiders should be bound for the top ten.
-WYOMING AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West, Front Range). Wyoming has been fun to watch at times, but the only reason we highlight this is because We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!
-FLORIDA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Florida has had to deal with some big setbacks to say the least. A road win like this would certainly help.
-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT FURMAN (SoCon). Furman has a shot at the bubble, but they pretty much need to win out in order to get there.
-WASHINGTON AT UCLA (Pac 12). These two teams are going in extreme opposite directions. UCLA looks like they belong in the top 25 (at least) and Washington looks like they might win this year’s Stallings Award.
-BELMONT AT JACKSONVILLE STATE (Ohio Valley). A win for Belmont will get them to 14-1 on the season, and it may be time to start looking at them as a team that could crash the bubble.
-VANDERBILT AT TENNESSEE (SEC). I want to give a shout out to Vandy because they are noticeably better than they were a year ago, but I don’t think they’ve improved to the point of being able to take down a top ten team like Tennessee.
-VIRGINIA AT CLEMSON (ACC). You get the sense that Virginia is getting stronger and stronger. They’ve got a big test today against a Clemson team that has a lot of decent wins, but probably none as good as this one would be if they’re able to pull it off.
-COLORADO STATE VS SAN JOSE STATE (Phoenix) (Mountain West). Colorado State looks to be straddling the bubble, so it’s important that they hold serve in games like this.
-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12). Texas is coming off a loss, but they are still an outstanding team and should have very little trouble bouncing back with a win tonight.
-LOUISVILLE AT MIAMI FL (ACC). Louisville hasn’t played the toughest schedule, but they’ve blown through most of what they have played, have built up a respectable resume that they’ll have the chance to improve on, and have the chance to add to that tonight with another road win.
-BYU AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast). San Francisco isn’t the most consistent team, but they are tough to beat when they play up to their potential. BYU looks like a solid tournament team, and that means they should be able to win games that are hard to win, so we will see what they do tonight.
-OKLAHOMA AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12). BEDLAM!!!!! I hate that we won’t have fans at this game. Both teams are good, both look like tournament caliber teams, and both could help themselves out with a win tonight. CANCELLED
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT LSU (SEC). South Carolina hasn’t had the opportunities to play that many games. I think they have a lot of potential, but it’s hard to say for sure. A win tonight against an LSU team that’s really been playing well lately would certainly be a big statement.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT USC (Pac 12). USC had a scare earlier in the week in a buy game against UC Riverside, but they did get the win and their resume keeps looking better and better as the season goes on.
-GONZAGA AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast). We’ve seen some classics between these two, but Gonzaga has been so dominant this year, and without any fans to give SMC a push it just looks like it’s going to be another dominant performance for the Zags.