NEWS AND NOTES:
-It was a big day for Alabama yesterday!! They knocked off one of the top teams in the country in a game that not many people were expecting them to win!! Oh…and they did it in basketball too!! Alabama held a lead over Gonzaga for pretty much the entire game, and it grew as high as 18 at one point in the second half. While the Zags did fight back and get as close as 2, they could never get control of the game. It wasn’t a true road game since it was in Seattle, but it was very much a pro-Zags crowd, so this is a monster win for the Crimson Tide.
-BYU bounced back from their loss at Utah Valley with a win at Missouri State. I’m not declaring this to be the greatest win of all time, but it was a tough road win against a team that will likely win a lot of games at home this year.
-Tennessee got a very impressive 69-54 road win at Colorado. We thought Tennessee was better than Colorado, but Colorado is typically VERY tough to beat at home, so this was a very impressive showing for the Vols.
-Memphis has now lost three straight after an impressive 5-0 start. They fell 67-63 at Ole Miss. Ole Miss is unbeaten at home. It’s not easy to win there, but it is a game that you would expect a top 20 caliber team to be able to win.
-Iowa State got another hugely impressive win as they beat Creighton 64-58 in Omaha. It was the first true road win for the Cyclones, and it was a big one. This has got to be one of the biggest single year turnarounds in recent memory.
-USC handed Washington State their first home loss of the year in a hard fought 63-61 win. This is a big win for the Trojans. It may not make national headlines, but Wazzu has been really good at home this year.
-Louisville got a nice win on the road against NC State, which is a very nice bounce-back after losing to Michigan State. Louisville has some good early season wins on their profile right now.
-Wake Forest is now 8-1 after not just beating Virginia Tech on the road, but beating them bad. Wake is another team that has exploded onto our radar!
-Loyola Chicago got a nice road win at DePaul 68-64. It’s not the kind of win that will carry them all the way inside the bubble, but it was still a good road win for the Ramblers.
-Colorado State looked really impressive in their 74-58 win against Saint Mary’s. It was a home win, but it was a decisive win that came against a quality opponent, and a statement that Colorado State is for real. Sooner or later the voters are going to recognize them and start ranking them. They’ll probably be very high in the rankings by the time the year is over.
-Syracuse picked up a nice conference road win at Florida State after some early season struggles of their own. The Noles still have a lot of potential, but they are reeling a little bit, especially this past week.
-Louisiana Tech picked up a really nice road win at Santa Clara. They are a really good UTR team that still has a long way to go to land inside the bubble, but a big road win like this will certainly help.
-UAB continues to roll. They improved to 7-2 yesterday with a really nice road win at Saint Louis, which was the first home loss of the year for the Billikens.
-Murray State is another UTR team that is emerging. They improved to 7-1 on the season after beating Middle Tennessee team that came into the game with just one loss.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-NORTHWESTERN AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Mark Turgeon has left Maryland, and they welcome in new Interim Head Coach Danny Manning!! HE IS BACK!! Northwestern is a respectable 5-2 and Maryland is doing okay at 5-3, but neither team has done anything big yet.
GEORGETOWN AT SOUTH CAROLINA. The Gamecocks have shown some signs of life early on and can improve to 6-2 on the year with a win today.
-MINNESOTA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE. Both teams come into this one with good records, but it’s also one of the bigger tests that either team has had so far, so we should be able to learn a little something about both of them. We weren’t expecting Minney to do much this year, but they are unbeaten at 6-0 and will really have our attention if they can get this one.
-RICHMOND AT NORTHERN IOWA. Both teams have been very disappointing this year. I suppose it’s possible for them to turn things around, but this now feels like a game that neither team can lose more than it does a game that would be a big one to win.
-BELMONT AT SAMFORD. Belmont is off to a really good early start and already has some notable wins. Samford hasn’t really been tested yet, but they are 6-1 on the year, so Belmont better not overlook them.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). It’s a winnable road game for the Tarheels, but it may not be easy. We were quick to write up Georgia Tech when they lost their opener to Miami OH, but Miami OH has gone on to be a bit of a surprise this year, and GA Tech’s only other loss was a close one to Wisconsin, so it wouldn’t shock me if UNC struggled in this one.
-ARIZONA AT OREGON STATE (Pac 12). This is a very winnable road game for Arizona. They should remain unbeaten, pick up their first true road win, and win their conference opener.
-CHATTANOOOGA AT LIPSCOMB. This could be a bit of a tough road game for a Chattanooga team that’s off to a 6-1 start. Lipscomb isn’t likely to lose to many at home, so if the committee is paying attention they should give the Mocs some credit for this if they’re able to pull it off.
-XAVIER AT OKLAHOMA STATE. It’s a tough road test for a Xavier team who’s looked good this year, and who’s only loss is to a pretty good Iowa State team.
-CALIFORNIA AT UTAH (Pac 12). It’s a conference game, but it could end up seeming like more of a buy game. Having said that, Cal did win their conference opener the other night, but it was at home against Oregon State.
-KANSAS STATE AT WICHITA STATE. Wichita State is 6-1 and probably deserves a lot more attention than what they’re getting. They should be able to hold serve against K State tonight.
-ARIZONA STATE AT OREGON. This is a winnable conferene game for an Oregon team that has struggled a little more than we thought they would so far, but who still has a very high ceiling.
-OHIO STATE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). It’s the conference opener for Ohio State, and it should be a winnable game despite it being a road game.
BUY GAMES:
-Bethune Cookman @ UCF
-Saint Thomas @ Drake
-Bryant @ Cincinnati
-Fordham @ Saint John’s (this may not technically be a buy game, but it might as well be)