NEWS, NOTES, AND LINKS
-Illinois picked up a huge road win at Ohio State to help get them one step closer to locking up a #1 seed. Ohio State has been on a bit of a slide, but they shouldn’t fall any further than the #2 line because for the most part the only teams they are losing to are other top ten teams.
-Oklahoma State capped off a hell of a week with a win at West Virginia. They were down two key players, but still got it done. They had won back to back games against Oklahoma int he past week, so the Pokes are really on fire right now.
-Villanova’s first game without Collin Gillespie did not go well. They ended up falling at Providence 54-52.
-Florida State went into Notre Dame needing a win to lock up first place in the ACC, and appeared to have a cakewalk, but ended up slipping all over the place and losing the game. FSU is in no danger of not earning a protected seed, and a few wins in the conference tournament will offset the loss, but it was a bit of a shock.
-Virginia ended up with a first place finish (for whatever that’s worth with an unbalanced schedule) as they held off Louisville 68-58. Many still think Louisville is inside the bubble, and they probably are despite me not thinking they really should be. A win yesterday would have totally changed my opinion, but they came up short.
-Rutgers needed overtime against Minnesota after blowing a comfortable lead late in the game, but held on for a nice road win. This pretty much virtually locks in Rutgers and knocks Minney completely out.
-LSU picked up a really nice road win at Missouri, which is one of their better wins of the year. This should all but lock up their spot in The Dance.
-USC picked up a really nice road win over UCLA by draining a 3 at the buzzer. In addition to a nice road win on their resume, this gives them bragging rights!
-Saint John’s spotted Seton Hall 18pts, but came all the way back and actually ended up wining by 10. It’s a big win for a Johnnies team that is on the bubble, and a crippling loss for a Seton Hall team that was also looking to play their way in.
-Xavier needed a win at Marquette, and didn’t get it. I think Xavier’s only way in now is to win the Big East Tournament.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-MEMPHIS AT HOUSTON (American). If Memphis wants into the tournament, they pretty much either have to win this one today, or they have to win the conference tournament next week. They’ll get a serious look either way, but there probably isn’t enough there for a bid without this win.
-WISCONSIN AT IOWA (Big Ten). Iowa still has a shot at a #1 seed. They’ll have to win out through the conference tournament to get it, but it could still happen. Wisconsin is safely in the top half of the bracket and a loss today won’t hurt them at all. A win would really boost their resume, though.
-TEXAS TECH AT BAYLOR (Big 12). Like a lot of Big 12 games, this is a showcase game between two potential protected seeds that can boost their resume with a win. Baylor is still looking like a #1 seed and Texas Tech is looking to lock up a top four seed.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Michigan blew the doors off the Spartans in the first game earlier this week. Michigan State is still likely inside the bubble with a loss, but with a win they are a virtual lock.
-TEXAS AT TCU (Big 12). This is a winnable road game for the Longhorns. If they hold serve in this one and win at least one game in the Big 12 Tourney they will probably end up as a protected seed.
-PENN STATE AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Maryland is in relatively good shape and will skate into the NCAAs so long as they hold serve.
-OREGON AT OREGON STATE (Pac 12). Oregon seems to be playing their best ball of the season right now and are a dangerous team in the Pac 12 Tourney. Having said that, this could be a tricky road game.