NEWS AND NOTES
-Baylor suffered their first loss of the year, and Kansas picked up what is arguably their biggest win of the year. Baylor still looked a little rusty after being shut down, but Kansas really did play a fantastic game, and is playing like a protected seed right now.
-Illinois bounced back with a big road win against Wisconsin. They still have a path to the #1 line considering that they could face Ohio State and/or Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.
-Oklahoma State picked up what is probably their most impressive win of the year on the road at Oklahoma. They needed overtime, but they got it done, and one has to start wondering if they deserve a protected seed.
-North Carolina is a bubble team that needed a big win, and got it. They knocked off a Florida State team that appeared to be on pace to win out and win the ACC.
-Xavier is a bubble team that needed a big win, and got it. They knocked off a Creighton team that was highly ranked and who had been making a case that they deserved a protected seed.
-Louisville needed a big win, and got it. They went to Duke and led for most of the game, but Duke fought back late to force OT. The Cardinals got it done in overtime, though, and picked up what is perhaps their biggest road win of the year.
-Texas Tech outlasted Texas, which is a big step toward them getting a protected seed. Texas is still in really good shape, but are just 3-4 in their last seven games. Granted, it has been a really tough schedule, but they have struggled somewhat.
-Stanford is a bubble team that needed to avoid a bad loss, and didn’t do it. They fell at home to Oregon State 73-62, and that is going to cause quite a bit of damage to their resume.
-Minnesota needed to pick up their first road win, and didn’t do it. They lost at Nebraska 78-74, and despite some of their really good wins I can’t see the committee taking a team that didn’t win a single road game.
-USC has now lost three out of their last four, and while they aren’t in any real danger of missing the field, they are starting to slide down the seedlist. Utah isn’t the easiest place to win, but they’re also not a tournament team, so it’s a game that you would expect USC to be able to win.
-San Diego State knocked off Boise State for the second straight game, and now appears to be the strongest team in the Mountain West.
-Tennessee lost another game that many were expecting them to win. They fell to Auburn 77-72 and their profile is taking on a few dings as we head down the stretch.
-Ole Miss’s week of greatness now looks like it was nothing more than that. They lost at Vanderbilt yesterday 75-70 and it’s kind of hard to argue that you belong in the field when you can’t beat Vanderbilt.
-Drake suffered a damaging loss at Bradley. They’ll still have a shot at an at-large bid, but they’re not nearly as safe as they were before this loss.
-Colorado picked up a really nice win against a UCLA team that had been playing really well. That will help stabilize and strengthen their resume.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-VILLANOVA AT BUTLER (Big East). Villanova really looked good in their last game against Saint John’s, and has a winnable road game today. They appear to have a protected seed locked up so long as they hold serve the rest of the way.
-MEMPHIS AT CINCINNATI (American). Memphis has a long steep climb to land inside the bubble, but if they finish really strong they should get a serious look.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Michigan State is coming off a huge week where they racked up wins against Illinois and Ohio State, which has put them squarely inside the bubble. They’ve got another tough road test today against a pretty good Maryland team that has also been trending up.
-FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL AT WESTERN KENTUCKY (Conference USA). WKU is squarely on the bubble, but pretty much needs to win out and avoid an early loss in the CUSA Tourney in order to have a really good shot of getting in.
-IOWA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Both teams are ranked in the top ten, but both are also coming off losses. Ohio State has actually lost two straight, but still looks like they’ll end up on the #1 line if they can turn things around today and finish strong.
-SOUTH FLORIDA AT HOUSTON (American). If Houston holds serve the rest of the way they should end up with a protected seed.
-NEVADA AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). Utah State is squarely on the bubble, so they really need this win today, and probably need at least one win in the Mountain West Tournament in order to have a good shot of making it.