NEWS AND NOTES
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-Texas Tech vs Oklahoma State was probably the most entertaining game of the night. It had it’s share of craziness, the lead seesawed back and forth, and Oklahoma State ended up picking up a hugely important win in overtime. I don’t want to overstate the impact of the loss for Texas Tech because, quite frankly, they’re still a really good team that’s in excellent shape, but they are starting to look a little bit less like a protected seed. Speaking of NOT looking like a protected seed…
-USC didn’t just blow Oregon’s doors off yesterday. They basically blew up their entire house. It was 17-1 to start things off, and it seemed like they led by 20+ for most of the game. Oregon did make a run late to get it as close as 10, and the 72-58 final score looked respectable, but it was basically just a drubbing by USC. This Trojan team is potentially very dangerous this March.
-Duke knocked off Syracuse rather impressively, and is a team that has not looked good for most of the season, but has started to look really good in their last few games. They have enough opportunities left to play their way into the field if they can keep winning at the clip they have been.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-UMASS AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten). UMass has no path whatsoever to an at-large bid, but strangely enough they are currently the first place team in the Atlantic Ten. Richmond is on the outside looking in and will need a very strong finish to get on the right side of it.
-SAINT LOUIS AT VCU (Atlantic Ten). Both teams are outside our bubble, but VCU is very close. It goes without saying that they really need to finish strong to give themselves a chance.
-ILLINOIS AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Illinois is one of the hottest teams in the country right now. I think they’re good enough to play their way up to the #1 line, and they’ll certainly get the opportunities they need. Michigan State is starting to play better, but it will take a herculean effort at this point to get them on the right side of the bubble.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT TCU (Big 12). WVU is another team that is really playing well and that has racked up a string of major wins. Winning at TCU isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but given how they’ve been playing they should be able to hold serve and end up as a protected seed.
-NOTRE DAME AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Nearly every prognosticator has Louisville relatively safely inside the bubble, but I personally am not there with them yet. Either way, Notre Dame is pretty far outside the field and the Cardinals need to hold serve tonight.
-LSU AT GEORGIA (SEC). LSU is starting to play better and if they hold serve the rest of the way, which means winning games like this, they’ll be dancing this March.
-FLORIDA AT AUBURN (SEC). This isn’t the easiest game in the world for the Gators, but it’s one they should be able to win. They appear to be on pace to land in the top half of the bracket.
-IOWA STATE AT BAYLOR (Big 12). Baylor is #2 in the country and has a case for being the #1 overall team on the seedlist. They are good enough to win out, and chances are they will.
-OKLAHOMA AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12). Oklahoma is another team that is red hot right now and could end up seeded as high as the #2 line if they keep winning at the clip they have been.
-KANSAS AT TEXAS (Big 12). This is a big time showcase game between two teams that are contending for protected seeds. Kansas had gone into a tailspin, but has pulled themselves out of it and is playing really well right now. Texas has a strong overall profile, but has had a couple of close losses recently which have set them back a little bit and they’re looking for a big time win.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Saint John’s had been playing well, but they are coming off a rather damaging loss to DePaul and are running out of time to make a solid case for themselves. If they could pull off the upset tonight it would be a major difference maker as to whether or not they get in.
-OLE MISS AT MISSOURI (SEC). Ole Miss had been on a roll and looked to be playing their way into the NCAA Tournament, but had a really inexplicable loss to Mississippi State their last time out. Missouri is still in the hunt for a protected seed, but they need to finish strong.
-UCONN AT GEORGETOWN (Big East). UConn is squarely on the bubble and simply can’t afford to lose games to teams that are way outside the bubble right now, which is why they have to win tonight.