NEWS AND NOTES:
-Murray State picked up a big road win at Memphis 74-72. They actually fell behind by as much as 14 late in the first half and came back to win. This gets Murray to a rather impressive 8-1 on the year, and with a road win like that you have to start thinking of them as a team that could land on the bubble, or even inside of it. Belmont, who is in the Ohio Valley along with Murray, also has some notable wins and is also looking like a potential tournament team. As for Memphis, they fall to 5-4, and we may need to start looking at them as a team that could potentially miss the tournament.
-Loyola Chicago picked up another road win as thy knocked off Vanderbilt 69-58 without too much trouble. The Ramblers are another UTR team that should land inside the bubble if they keep winning at the clip they have been.
-DePaul got a really nice road win at Louisville. It was their first true road game of the season, and it improves them to 8-1 on the year with the only loss being to Loyola Chicago. Louisville is in a bit of a tailspin both on and off the court. They need some wins not just to get their resume in order, but to get their mental health in order as well.
HIGLIGHTED GAMES:
-HOUSTON AT ALABAMA (***Spotlight Game***). Both teams are ranked in the top 15, both teams already have big wins on their resume, both are on pace (for now) to become protected seeds, and this is the kind of win that can make a case for a team being a #1 seed. It’s also the first true road game for Houston, so we should learn quite a bit about them tonight.
-NEBRASKA AT AUBURN. I almost put this down with the buy games, but at 5-5 Nebraska is a little better that. I still think it’ll be an easy win for Auburn, though.
-WISCONSIN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Both teams are in the rankings, and both have some big wins on their resumes already. Wisconsin just survived a home scare against Indiana and will need to play a lot better to beat a really good Ohio State team on the road. It’s a conference game, and it’s a resume building opportunity for both teams.
-BYU VS CREIGHTON (game in Sioux Falls). A good chance for both of these teams to pick up a notable win away from home, which means it’s a resume boosting opportunity for both of them. BYU deserves credit for going out and playing teams like they have.
-SYRACUSE AT GEORGETOWN. This is perhaps the signature rivalry of the Classic Big East. I don’t know how classic it will be this year, though. Georgetown is 4-1 at home, but this is a bigger test than the caliber of games they’ve been winning. Syracuse is looking for their second true road win.
-ARKANSAS AT OKLAHOMA. The Razorbacks are off to a 9-0 start, and you can’t ask for more than that, but this is their first true road game and it is a test. Oklahoma probably isn’t as good as Arkansas, but it’s still a game they can win on their home court.
-PENN STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Should be a winnable conference home game for the Spartans.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE VS COLORADO STATE (Basketball Hall of Fame Classic). I’ve been banging the drum for Colorado State all year. They haven’t lost yet, but this is probably their biggest test up to this point. It’s a neutral floor game against a pretty good Mississippi State team. This is a game that Mississippi State could use as well. It would also arguably be their biggest win of the season up to this point against an almost and likely soon to be top 25 team.
-DRAKE AT CLEMSON. Drake has won three straight, but they were all agains weak teams and they didn’t exactly bury any of them. This is the kind of win they need to get their resume, and perhaps their season, turned back around.
-UCLA AT MARQUETTE. This is a tough road game, but UCLA is a #1 seed caliber team that is certainly capable of winning tough road games. Marquette is unbeaten at home with some notable wins on their resume, but none as big as this. It would be a game they’d probably get quite a bit of credit for winning even though they’re the home team.
-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE. South Dakota State suffered a real head-scratching loss to Idaho earlier this week, and that is the last thing any UTR team needs that’s trying to play their way onto the bubble. They’ve got a chance at a notable win today against what’s looking more and more like a really good Wazzu team, but they’ll need to do much better than they did the other night.
-MISSOURI AT KANSAS (Border War). THE BORDER WAR IS BACK!!! THE BORDER WAR IS BACK!!! So…on paper, this is a huge mismatch and given how good Kansas is and the kinds of wins they’ll have on their resume at the end of the year, this won’t move the needle at all. In fact, given how poorly Mizzou has looked in several of their games, it’s shaping up to be a real snoozer. But…that doesn’t matter!! THE BORDER WAR IS BACK!!!!
-SAINT BONAVENTURE VS UCONN (Never Forget Tribute Classic). This is the kind of game that if the Bonnies were to win it, and then blow through the rest of their schedule, you could argue that they deserve a solid protected seed. If they don’t win it, but blow through the rest of their schedule, they’ll still be high in the rankings and still easily wearing white in the Round of 64, but they’ll be lacking a big time signature win away from home. UConn has been better than expected this year, and it’s a chance for them to add another notable win to their resume.
-UNC GREENSBORO AT TENNESSEE. It’s a buy game, but UNCG is off to a respectable 7-2 start with a win on the road. They may be more competitive than expected, and if they can somehow win, then this catapults them into the picture.
-ARIZONA AT ILLINOIS. This is a HUGE road test for Arizona, and would be a huge statement win if they could pull it off. Illinois has stumbled a couple of times and has fallen out of the rankings, but they have a very high ceiling and I think they’re going to get back in there soon enough. A win at home like this against a highly ranked team is just as important for their confidence and momentum as it is a big win for them on paper.
-BOSTON COLLEGE AT SAINT LOUIS. BC comes in with a very respectable record, and SLU has done well this year despite battling injuries. If they hold serve in this one then they’ll still be on a good path.
-KENTUCKY AT NOTRE DAME. This is a huge mismatch. Kentucky shouldn’t have too much trouble winning despite the fact that it’s a road game, and that it’s UK’s first true road game of the year.
-LSU AT GEORGIA TECH. This will be the first road test of the year for LSU, and while it’s a winnable game, it’s not necessarily a gimme game.
-UC SANTA BARBARA AT SAINT MARY’S. We really like this UCSB team, but while their record is respectable they haven’t made a big statement yet. This would certainly qualify. Saint Mary’s is unbeaten at home, and they’ve also tested themselves on the road, and they appear to be well on their way toward landing inside the bubble.
-TOLEDO AT RICHMOND. Toledo comes in at 7-2, and Richmond is a rather disappointing 5-4. At the start of the year I would have said this is a game where Richmond should be able to hold serve against a good UTR team. Now I’m inclined to say that while it’s not easy, it’s a winnable road game for Toledo.
-TCU VS TEXAS A&M (game in Houston). Both of these teams come in at 7-1, but both also have resumes that could use upgrading, and this is a chance for them to make that happen.
-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Minney has a good 7-1 record, and Michigan has stumbled a little bit early on despite having a ton of talent. Still, the Wolverines will be extremely difficult to beat on their home floor.
-UC IRVINE AT FRESNO STATE. These are two good teams who have limited chances at resume builders (especially the Eaters), but both have the chance at a good win tonight. This one is definitely worth tuning in to!
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT LMU. New Mexico State has a very narrow margin for error if they want to land inside the bubble, but they do at least have a margin. This would be an at least decent road win for them if they’re able to pull it off.
-LIBERTY AT STEPHEN F AUSTIN. Two good UTR teams that are admittedly long shots at best at landing inside the bubble, but it should still be a fun game to watch!
-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT OLE MISS. WKU has been a little disappointing this year, but they are still a talented team and Ole Miss won’t want to just overlook them.
-CINCINNATI AT XAVIER (Crosstown Shootout). It’s a big rivalry game, and it’s actually a game that both teams could use on paper. Cincinnati has a nice win against Illinois, but considering that this is a road game against a Xavier team that probably won’t lose too many at home even in the Big East, this would give their resume another big boost in the right direction. Xavier can get to 9-1 on the season if they can hold serve.
-SANTA CLARA AT CALIFORNIA. Santa Clara has an uphill climb to get inside the bubble. This is a winnable road game and it’s the kind of game that they need to be able to win.
-UTAH VALLEY AT WYOMING. Utah Valley comes in at 7-2 and with a nice win against BYU on their resume (albeit at home). Wyoming is coming off their first loss of the season, and while losing at Arizona is hardly a damaging loss, getting blown out the way that they were is probably a little discouraging. This is a bit of a bounce back opportunity for them.
BUY GAMES (or games that might as well be):
-Louisiana @ Louisiana Tech – not a buy game, but a rivalry game between a decent UTR team in Louisiana, and a good UTR team in Louisiana Tech
-Saint John Fisher (nonD1) @ Buffalo
-Temple @ Saint Joseph’s (Big Five) – only being mentioned because we love the Big 5!
-Central Connecticut @ Providence
-Ohio U @ Steston – I still think Ohio U is a really good UTR team, but to make a run at the bubble they have to start putting together a long string of wins
-Eastern Illinois @ Butler
-Maine Fort Kent (nonD1) @ Weber State
-Manhattan @ Utah – Manhattan is a very respectable 6-2, but this is a very big test for them
-Radford @ James Madison – JMU’s path to the NCAA Tournament is basically them winning out
-Norfolk State @ Wichita State – Norfolk State has a good record, but is still way overmatched
-Elon @ North Carolina
-TAMUCC @ Omaha – a win for TAMUCC, which is likely, gets them to 9-1 on the season
-New Orleans @ Utah State